Opportunities Incorporated is proud to be a member of The Association for Contract Packagers & Manufacturers. Through our membership to this trade organization we are able to gain useful industry insights to allow us to better serve you, our customer.
It can be a big deal when deciding to outsource work to a contract packager. A lot of questions can come up right from the beginning, such as What level of quality can be provided? Can they meet our turn times? Who do we choose? Where do we even start?
To help get you started, The Association for Contract Packagers & Manufacturers came up with a list of reasons you may want to consider selecting a contract packager:
- No available in-house equipment or expertise for a particular job
- Geographically separated facilities could serve the product better for national distribution
- Non-standard packaging requiring special machinery or labor intensive work is specified
- Product may more economically be shipped in bulk to a distant market, then unit packed locally
- Short-term requirement that may be better served by specific experience or equipment you don't have
- There's a warehouse full of a product that needs re-working to make it saleable
- There's a corporate downsizing in personnel, facilities or both
This is a great list that you should keep in mind when deciding whether or not to consider selecting your next contract packager.
Please visit https://www.contractpackaging.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3287 to see the article this list originally appeared in. CLICK HERE for more content related to contract packaging or HERE to request a quote.
Opportunities, Incorporated has been fortunate to have served our state agencies' battery needs in Wisconsin for a little over a year through the State Use Program. This program allows Opportunities, Incorporated to be the exclusive alkaline battery supplier for all state agencies throughout Wisconsin. These agencies include the Department of Corrections, Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources and many more.
The program is truly special because it provides another means to meet our mission of serving individuals with barriers by providing training opportunities. Over the past year the State Use Battery program has allowed us to create jobs for three to five Wisconsin Citizens with disabilities per week. These individuals have been able to receive an average of 15 hours of training per week through the Battery program.
Over the past year, Opportunities, Incorporated has served our state by shipping out more than 97,000 co-branded Rayovac batteries in twelve packs to numerous customers throughout Wisconsin. The State Use Battery program has also allowed our organization to serve Wisconsin Citizens while meeting the needs of state and municipal customers in Wisconsin who believe in our mission.
Total Battery Cells Shipped to Date - | 97,944 |
To read the full articles mentioned in this blog please head to:
Industrial Packaging "3 common packaging fails and how to avoid them"
New York Times "Tropicana discovers some buyers are passionate about packaging"
Wikipedia "Facebook"
Be simple, bold and clear |
“Stick to the essentials and make sure they help the buyer make a more informed decision; a clean-cut design can convey information and make a product shine using simplicity.” -99designs.com |
Embrace custom lettering |
More emphasis on hand-written lettering. Something that makes the customer feel some sort of connection to the product. Lettering that can separate your design from the digital standard text. |
Go wild with color |
As the title says, go wild! If you’re not sure what colors to choose, take a look back at our packaging color blog. There you’ll find out what colors to choose to ensure your product packaging lines up with your company’s values. |
Repeat a pattern |
“Although the idea of repetitive shapes might seem simple, the technique can be dynamic and compelling when used correctly.” -99 designs.com |
Use illustration as narrative |
Let the imagery on your package tell a story about your brand or your product. |
Imagine ingenious die cut |
“Creating a window in your packaging can show the product in a meaningful or clever way, making a buyer stop and take notice.” -99designs.com |
Find vintage inspiration |
Create nostalgia |
Explore eco-friendly packaging |
Similar to 2016, sustainability will continue to push packaging growth! |
Put in mail |
Growth in e-commerce sites and stores means packaging designs need to be mailable. Make sure your packaging design stands out when consumers’ open it at home! |
Global
Mintel.com came up with a great list of trends that are expected to be seen throughout the global packaging industry. Some of these trends are seen through the packaging design itself, and have already been mentioned. Key trends for 2017 to be on the lookout for:
- The [Re] Union of Package Structure and Branding
- The Face and Role of Packaging Online
- Packaging Gets Smart, Active and Intelligent
- The Experience of Packaging
- Extend My Brand
As you can see online packaging is going to be an absolute force in 2017. We are going to see more company’s shying away from multiple brick and mortar stores. Billing and shipping information will continue shifting to online systems. Packaging will also see more quoting and ordering online as well.
United States
Brandpackaging.com and Outlookgroup.com have a great list of trends that are expected to be seen in the US. As mentioned earlier, some of these may be repeats from design and global trends. Again, pay close attention to these in 2017.
The Outlookgroup.com highlighted the following trends: