Trends in Contract Packing

What is Contract Packing?

Contract packing, also known as co-packing, is the process of outsourcing the packaging of products to a third-party company, such as Granby. Our service encompasses a wide range of activities, including assembling, labelling, packaging, and shipping products.

Brand owners choose to partner with Granby for our packaging and assembly expertise, allowing them to focus on managing time, optimising costs, and improving project efficiencies within their core business.

How do we do this?

Granby Contract Packing Services: From Lancashire to the World

Granby’s large warehouse facility in Blackburn, Lancashire, spans 66,000 sq. ft. and is equipped with a comprehensive mix of storage types, including racked, bulk stacked, and a secure caged area. Our premises are well-connected to transport infrastructure, making it easy to distribute products nationally and internationally.

Brand Guardians

One of Granby’s key strengths is our dedicated employees who act as brand guardians for our clients. Each of our skilled employees deliver consistent, excellent quality of service for each of our clients. We are constantly investing in the professional development of our employees making sure each team member receives any necessary skills training as needed. When, on occasion, for seasonality reasons we need to supplement our resources we don’t use agency staff preferring to recruit our own bank of workers through a careful and rigorous selection process.

Granby’s Packing Services

Gifts and Gifting

Gift packaging is an art that requires a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of consumer preferences. Granby excel in this area by offering packaging solutions that not only look good on the shelf but also enhance the unboxing experience for customers. Whether it’s a corporate gift or a personal present, Granby’s team ensures that each package is meticulously crafted to leave a lasting impression.

Promotional Banded Packs

Promotional banded packs are a popular marketing tool used to boost sales and enhance brand visibility. These packs often include multiple products, bundled together with attractive packaging. We leverage our expertise in digital printing and hand collation to create eye-catching promotional banded packs that stand out in the market. Our skilled production teams ensure that each pack is assembled with precision, maintaining the highest quality standards.

Personalised Labelling

In an era where personalisation is key to customer engagement, we offer bespoke labelling solutions that cater to individual customer preferences. Whether it’s adding a customer’s name to a product or creating custom labels for a special event, our advanced printing technology, best in class systems and skilled workforce make it possible. This personalised touch not only enhances customer satisfaction but also fosters brand loyalty.

Food

Packaging food products requires stringent adherence to safety and hygiene standards. Granby’s clean room, which is BRC and Soil Association audited/compliant, is specifically designed for collating and packing food items. Our vetted and trained production teams ensure that each product is handled with care, maintaining quality and freshness. From batch control to ERP integration, Granby’s robust processes guarantee that food products are packaged and delivered in pristine condition.

Seasonal Packaging

Seasonal packaging is crucial for capitalising on festive periods and special occasions. Granby understands the importance of timely and attractive seasonal packaging. With in-house resources and reliable external partners, they manage seasonal packing projects efficiently, ensuring that products are ready for the market well in advance. The planning for these packs is beginning earlier and earlier. We are working on projects now for Christmas 2025 – that’s more than 18 months down the line

Specialist Packing: Small Runs and Bespoke Packs

It’s not just massive brands and big projects. Granby excel in handling specialist packing projects, often around luxury and high-ticket items, that require small runs and bespoke packaging solutions. Whether it’s packing delicate sweets or creating custom gift sets, skilled teams and advanced technology ensure that each project is executed flawlessly. Our clean room and secure caged area provide the ideal environment for packing sensitive and high-value items.

Clean Room for Specialist Packing

The Granby Clean Room shows our commitment to quality and safety. This specialised area is designed for collating and packing products with specific requirements, such as cosmetics, food, and delicate materials. The clean room is BRC and Soil Association audited/compliant, ensuring that all products are handled in a controlled and hygienic environment.

Hand Collation & Assembly

Our hand collation and assembly services are ideal for projects needing meticulous attention to detail. Our trained teams quickly and efficiently assemble components and packaging, ensuring each product meets the highest quality standards.

Sleeving

Sleeving is an effective way to protect products during transit and enhance their visual appeal. Granby uses digital printing to create high-quality sleeves that not only look amazing but also provide an additional layer of protection. This service is particularly useful for food products, cosmetics, and other items that require attractive and durable packaging.

Re-labelling & Re-packaging

Granby’s re-labelling and re-packaging services are designed to meet specific demands or specifications for display, delivery, regulation, or campaigns. Whether it’s updating labels to comply with new regulations or re-packaging products for a special promotion, Granby’s skilled teams ensure each project is executed flawlessly.

Barcoding and Tamper Proofing

Barcoding and tamper-proofing are key to efficiency, accuracy, and security. We offer advanced barcoding solutions to streamline inventory management and enhance product traceability. Our tamper-proofing services provide an additional layer of protection, ensuring that products remain secure during transit and on the shelf.

Packaging Design Expertise

Our expert and experienced in-house packaging team work closely with clients to create packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also robust enough to protect products during transit. Our focus on reducing packaging waste, preventing damaged products, and meeting deadlines helps clients save time and money.

Audit Trail & Risk Management

Granby’s fulfilment system, SCOPe, provides complete visibility of information in real-time, including supplier and carrier status and tracking. This robust system ensures that clients always know exactly what has gone where and when it arrived. Granby’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) capabilities further enhance our efficiency, allowing them to manage resources flexibly and meet deadlines without charging clients for downtime.

What Contract Packing TRENDS have we seen?

Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Packaging

One of the contract packing trends we’ve seen is a growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions. Brand owners are increasingly looking for eco-friendly materials, biodegradable materials, recycled paper, and compostable packaging. Granby have long been committed to helping clients meet environmental policy requirements. From sourcing environmentally friendly materials to reducing waste, we love getting creative to help clients reach their sustainability goals. We help improve the impact of packaging while making sure it’s robust enough to arrive at its destination in pristine condition.

As regulations around packaging materials and waste management become stricter, contract packers need to stay compliant with local and international laws. This includes adhering to guidelines on recyclability, material safety, and labelling requirements.

At Granby we adhere to ISO 14001. This is one of the continuing contract packing trends. This sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. This international standard helps us improve our environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste and helps us establish a competitive advantage as a provider of 3PL services, which we can pass onto our clients in many ways. In 2022, we banished single use plastics by investing in new equipment and processes. Sustainable packaging is more important than ever. And our teams work with clients to balance the conflicting expectations around pricing, value for money, and environmental impact, helping to ensure that each solution is cost-effective, attractive, and sustainable. For more on our sustainability commitments and progress tale a look at our 2023 Carbon Reduction Report

Customisation and Personalisation

Brands are seeking more customised and personalised packaging solutions to stand out in the market. This includes unique shapes, sizes, and designs that cater to specific target audiences. Digital printing technology has made it easier to produce short runs of customised packaging. At Granby, we always ensure the best packaging solution is selected for each client project.

Smart Packaging

The integration of technology into packaging is one of the rising contract packing trends. This includes QR codes, NFC tags, and other smart features. All can provide consumers with additional information, track products, or enhance the user experience. Granby are equipped to accommodate any of these client requirements including NFC for tracking inventory, especially for high value assets. Reverse logistics requires lot and batch tracking automation within our ERP process.

E-commerce Packaging

With the boom in online shopping, one of the more predictable contract packing trends sees a significant focus on packaging suitable for e-commerce. Thanks to the range of online selling platforms, including Etsy, Amazon, Instagram and TikTok, and the ease of shipping goods from international ports to the UK, it is easier than ever to start an e-commerce retail business. Many people sell online as a side hustle! E-commerce packaging is an effective way to help online businesses and start-ups stand out from the crown. E-commerce packaging includes packaging that is durable enough to withstand shipping, easy to open, and return-friendly.

Health and Safety

Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased emphasis on hygienic and tamper-evident packaging. Consumers are more concerned about the safety and cleanliness of the products they purchase. Our Clean Room is BRC and Soil Association audited/compliant. Granby make sure that all products are handled in a controlled and hygienic environment.

Flexible Packaging

Another of the contract packing trends concerns flexible packaging solutions. These include pouches and sachets, and are becoming more popular due to their convenience, lightweight nature, and reduced material usage. The food and beverage industry particularly favour this. Granby are equipped to handle food packaging and our robust processes guarantee that food products are packaged and delivered in pristine condition

Strategic Partnerships

Granby and our clients have discovered that forming deeper strategic partnerships brings significant advantages. By fostering a close relationship, we develop a more comprehensive understanding of a brand owner’s business, which allows us to develop tailored packing solutions right from the concept stage. Granby’s proactive approach ensures that packaging is seamlessly integrated into the overall brand strategy, rather than being an afterthought once the components are ready. As more companies choose to outsource their packaging needs to specialised contract packers, these strategic partnerships and long-term collaborations are becoming increasingly vital for success.

It all comes down to experience and expertise

Contract packing is a vital service that helps companies streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Granby stand out in the industry with our comprehensive range of contract packing services, skilled employees, and our commitment to quality and sustainability. From gift packaging to specialist packing, Granby deliver cost-effective, high-quality solutions that help brands build great relationships with their customers.

Whether you’re looking to outsource your packaging needs or enhance your existing processes, you can trust Granby as the partner to deliver exceptional results.