Contract packaging requires forward planning

Co-packing gains in relevance

Markets for key raw materials are running dry and supply chains that have run smoothly for many years are facing disruption. And this isn’t just impacting the automotive and electronics industries; the packaging industry is also struggling with delivery failures and material shortages. It was for this reason that the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) warned of possible repercussions for Easter trade at the start of the year. It was feared that not all chocolate bunnies or Easter goods would be able to be produced or packaged as expected. The coming Christmas sales period also requires early planning to ensure the availability of materials and the bridging of bottlenecks. This is especially the case for custom-filled Advent calendars. Experienced packaging specialists like Karl Knauer KG in Biberach/Baden know this; alongside producing packaging, the company also offers extensive co-packing services.

New approach for service providers: better local than global

For goods to actually arrive safely packaged and on time with retailers and customers the entire supply chain has to function smoothly and all raw materials, as well as other supplies, need to be available. All this is becoming increasingly difficult due to the current pandemic and crises in our globalized world. As a result, more and more companies are outsourcing the entire packaging process to reliable partners, from the production or provision of packaging to the packaging of goods and order picking. Service providers with short response times and supply chains, who have a contact person available at all times, are of course preferred.

Everything in one place

Packaging manufacturers and specialists who, like Karl Knauer KG, cover all industries from pharmaceuticals to food and beauty, and who are experienced in handling large-scale projects with millions of individual pieces, understand how important the trust between customer and service provider is in these challenging times. “We are delighted that we’re attracting more and more new customers for contract packaging to complement our list of regular customers,” says Tobias Munz, Key Account Manager at Karl Knauer. “As well as large, well-known brand companies, for whom we often take on extra services in addition to the packaging itself, such as incoming goods and quality control, inventory monitoring and the interim storage of goods, smaller companies and a number of start-ups are now also approaching us. A further advantage of one-stop service provision is that co-packing is taken into account right from the start of the project in the packaging development phase.”

Filled Advent calendars: A prime co-packing model

Advent calendars are a good example of what a complete packaging process looks like, as they often consist of dozens of components that have to be assembled to create a cohesive package. This starts with the choice of materials for the calendar and its design, includes the right storage for the products that are to be discovered behind each little door and extends far beyond punctual delivery. It’s not therefore surprising that, at Karl Knauer, the development and production of Advent calendars has been in full swing since long before Easter. “Custom Advent calendars like the one we created and produced last year for the young start-up ‘the nu company’ need a certain lead time because they often consist of so many individual pieces. The nu company Advent calendar was made up of 54 elements in total last year. Everything was completely plastic-free and produced using sustainable materials,” says key account manager Tobias Munz, describing the order from Leipzig-based the nu company GmbH. The collaboration between our customer’s young team and the “seasoned” packaging pros at Karl Knauer worked so well that follow-up orders are already in the pipeline. “Customers will be able to enjoy creative, particularly sustainable Christmas specials from this company again this year. That’s all we can reveal at present, unfortunately,” says Tobias Munz, looking ahead to Advent 2022.

Start-ups like the nu company and numerous well-known brands value the experts at Karl Knauer when it comes to exceptional packaging projects as they know exactly what can and needs to be done to get the product to the customer as efficiently, economically, sustainably, safely and on time as possible. And this certainly pays off in our current climate.