Packaging Supplier
Packaging Categories
Most retailed products will be packaged. There are three general categories of packaging:
- Primary – the immediate packaging around the finished product
- Secondary – the container in which several finished packs would be distributed (and sometimes displayed in)
- Tertiary – the carrier for the secondary packaging. This may be a pallet or large crate
Role in the Supply Chain
Packaging suppliers would generally sell their packaging to the goods producers. The involvement of packaging suppliers can range from simply taking orders for packaging items to having detailed involvement with the logistics, marketing, specification, cost and legal aspects of the packaging.
Although packaging suppliers will directly supply the producer, they may have a working relationship with other partners in the supply chain. For instance, they may agree primary packaging designs with the
retailer, rather than with the producer. The
retailer would then write the agreed packaging design into the
producer’s product specification. The retailer may even negotiate a global price for packaging with the packaging supplier, leaving the
producer to simply order and pay for the packaging at the pre-agreed price (this is subject to restrictive practice legislation that may be in force in any given territory). Some packaging suppliers may even
work directly with consumers in order to obtain feedback on primary packaging designs.
The packaging supplier may also work closely with other supply chain partners when designing secondary and tertiary packaging. For instance, they may design tertiary packaging in collaboration with the
shipper and secondary packaging in collaboration with the
wholesaler. They would still need to take into account the requirements of the
retailer and producer, as all of these parties will be affected by secondary and tertiary packaging designs.
Generally, although packaging suppliers sell to the producers directly, they will usually take heed of the requirements of the whole supply chain, especially the dominant partner, whose approval would be critical.
Consumer | Customer | Importer | Packaging Supplier | Producer | Retailer | Shipper | Wholesaler
History | Marketing | The Supply Chain | Types of Retail Outlet
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