9 strategies to assure successful package development: a panel of pros shares ideas that make this critical function work better

Food & Drug Packaging, Jan, 2002 by James W. Peters

Remember to make them part of the team. Bring them into the project at the onset of conceptual development. Include vendors involved with primary packaging, tooling, equipment and other components.

* "If you bring in the tooling guy and then bring in the machine guy, you run the risk of finding out that he can't do what the tooling guy had in mind."--John Bitner

9 Develop a single point of vendor contact--but have access to the entire team

Whether it is the salesperson or a project manager, one person at the vendor should have overall responsibility for tracking your project. Just as you have a timeline, the vendor has one also, and the project manager has to supervise it.

* "Any project will have fine points of design, manufacturing, testing and specifications. Be able to get to the right expert when you need the help. Especially on technical issues, you have to communicate directly with the expert.

"Passing messages through third parties such as project managers increases the chance of miscommunication and error."--Andrea Mandel

AND A BONUS STRATEGY: CELEBRATE!

Because a successful package is a team effort, it should be celebrated as a team.

* "Take the time to celebrate! Typically, by the time the package is launched, the new package development team is already moving on to the next big project. Don't forget to celebrate and understand what worked with the process so you can take advantage of those tactics for the future. Similar to learning from your mistakes, you can learn your successes."--Mary Ellen Reis

A TIP: ASK QUESTIONS

"Nothing works better to shorten the package development cycle than asking questions ... a lot of them. Many packaging engineers fail to ask enough questions of marketing, manufacturing; purchasing and quality.

An unwillingness to ask questions results in assumption that may be wrong. Those assumptions may be corrected later, with a significant delay or even project failure."--Paul Pezzoli

Teamwork pays

The Mistic Zotics bottle is a "huge example of teamwork" in developing a package, says Mary Ellen Reis.

Team members included operations people who had to make sure the bottle shape would run on co-packer lines at speeds of up to 600 bottles per minute. Engineers had to test bottles for volumetrics and for stacking strength.

A key was the teamwork involving the label supplier, labeling equipment supplier and bottle maker. The bottle has three labels, one on each of three panels. A design without an orienting lug required the label equipment supplier to orient the bottle, using only the three-sided configuration to locate it. Cooperation among the three suppliers achieved both efficiency and aesthetic goals.

Our panelists

JOHN BITNER is Manager of Package Design and Development for Pharmacia Corp., a job that encompasses structural and graphic design along with management, engineering, marketing and purchasing activities. John is also president at the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

STAN KOPECKY Manager of Worldwide Packaging Development for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., has more than 30 years in the packaging profession. Prior to joining Wrigley more than 12 years ago, Stan spent 20 years at Kraft Foods in R&D and operations. He holds o number of packaging patents.