Contract filling is when a business chooses to outsource the packing and filling of its product into packaging rather than doing it in-house. It is also known as contract packing, contract packaging, or co-filling. The contract packer packages and packs the products for distribution.
Businesses do this because companies that specialise in contract filling can often perform this function much more quickly and efficiently and usually at a cheaper cost than if a business chose to do it in-house.
Specialists may also be able to provide expertise and perform complex packaging for businesses that may know a lot about their product but not as much about packaging; for example, a cod liver oil producer may use a contract filler to fill its product into capsules and containers. Contract fillers will measure and dispense the products into appropriate containers in a way that is compliant and gives the quality assurance needed by the producers and their customers.
What kind of services can specialist contract fillers provide?
Specialist contract filling is used for a huge variety of products and industries. Some companies will specialise in a specific type of product to be filled and will have built a significant amount of experience in this area, such as chemicals.
The types of services that specialist contract fillers perform include packing dry products, filling liquid into bottles or containers, bagging, printing and labelling, and boxing. Some specialist forms can also provide a service called modified atmosphere packaging, which is a process in which excess gas is removed from packaging to preserve the product.
What kind of products could be outsourced for contract filling?
Most products are good candidates for contract filling, but here are some of the main products that are commonly outsourced:
– Powders and grains, such as flour, sugar and bath salts. These products are commonly packed into paper or plastic packets and sachets.
– Free-flowing liquids, such as shower creams, gels and body lotions, can be filled into a variety of containers.
– Specialist contract filling can turn some liquid and powder medications, supplements and beauty products into capsules.