Archive: Feb 2023

Packaging Trends For 2023

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Packaging Trends For 2023

Packaging plays a critical role in the way consumers perceive your product and brand. It is vital that your packaging material stand out on the shelf and quickly provide the information consumers are looking for in an appealing and enticing way.

The packaging industry is continually evolving to meet changing consumer demands and utilize evolving technologies. Things like digital printing and new packaging materials allow smaller companies to compete with big brand names. Companies need to navigate the landscape of a challenging global supply chain while continually evolving their packaging design and materials to meet packaging design trends.

Here are some of the most common packaging design trends for 2023.

Expressive and Playful

It’s no wonder that consumers are leaning towards products that bring comfort and joy in an expressive and playful packaging design. Staying light and upbeat gives consumers just the escapism they are looking for from the stresses of the day.

Calm And Tranquil

Consumers find comfort in calm and tranquil packaging with earthy tones like greens, blues, and browns, and simple, white background. Complementary hues with simple content and minimum use of fonts bring on a sigh of relief and easy reading.

Sustainable and Recyclable

Sustainability continues to be a growing trend across many industries and should be on the mind of all packaging companies as consumer demand for recyclable goods only continues to increase. Designing packaging with a carbon footprint in mind and a goal to reduce the burden that packaging plays on the ecosystem should be at the forefront of packaging companies. Flexible packaging is one way companies are meeting consumer demand and connecting with their consumers to improve their brand awareness.

Recyclable and lightweight, flexible packaging is one trend that continues to increase in 2023, as more companies take responsibility for their role in contributing to climate change and convey these efforts to consumers through packaging materials. Many companies are switching from rigid or plastic packaging to fully recyclable polyethylene (PE) materials. Lightweight packaging saves companies money by shipping more with each truckload, is cost-effective, and reduces environmental impact.

Eco-Friendly Inks

Not only are consumers looking for recyclable packaging, but a completely eco-friendly package that includes inks that are vegetable or soya base, compared to common inks which are petroleum-based and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are in demand in 2023.

Refillable Packaging

Packaging that allows for refills supports a more sustainable packaging process as consumers can make a first purchase of products in a decorative glass container and use sustainable pouches to refill products. Less is more is becoming a theme with every industry.

Minimalism

Minimalism is a trend returning in 2023 as consumers push for simple packaging that portrays honesty and trust. Minimalistic packaging designs look neat and sophisticated with clean lines and few colors rather than busy gimmicks.

Companies seeking to keep up with the trends of 2023 in packaging design benefit from using a contract packaging company with experience in many types of packaging services.

Contract Wrapping and Packaging Solutions

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, provides contract wrapping and packaging solutions with the highest quality standards. We offer more than 80 years of experience, a highly skilled and trained staff, and large capacity in our modern, state-of-the-art facility. PPS provides contract packaging services for some of the largest Fortune 100 companies as well as small and medium-sized businesses.

We are experienced in providing all types of packaging solutions, including flexible packaging, auto bag filling, and various secondary packaging processes such as clamshell packaging, repackaging, labeling, creating point-of-purchase (POP) displays, club packing, shrink-wrapping, pelletizing, and more. We are responsive to our customers’ needs and familiar with a variety of packaging materials and processes to customize and fulfill your packaging needs.

PPS has been providing contract packaging solutions since 1941, offering decades of expertise in a variety of industries and market segments. We practice strict quality policies as part of our ISO9001:2015 certification and invest in our staff through continual training and cross-training practices. Contact us to learn how we can help you with your packaging needs and respond to the most recent trends in packaging for 2023.

Advantages and Disadvantages to Contract Assembly

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This article was published on May 18, 2021 and updated on February 14, 2023

Many types of companies have a need to assemble their products, whether a manufacturer that requires the assembly of components for further manufacturing processes or a retailer that must assemble products to make themselves ready for display. Companies that require product assembly must either perform these services in-house or outsource to a contract assembly provider. Outsourcing can be very beneficial to companies, although they should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of contract assembly.

Advantages of Contract Assembly

Companies that utilize the services of a contract assembly provider can realize many benefits that can improve productivity and increase profitability. Some of the ways in which companies realize advantages with contract assembly include increased internal capacity, which allows the company to focus on their niche manufacturing market, budget control, improved quality and delivery, and insight from an experienced assembly provider.

Increased internal capacity – companies that require assembly of products must dedicate floor space and labor to perform in the assembly process. By outsourcing this process to an assembly provider, companies free up internal resources with increased capacity.
Savings on labor and benefits – by outsourcing contract assembly, companies do not need to hire and train individuals to perform these processes, which saves on labor expenses as well as benefits and continual training with employee turnover.
More resources to focus on niche production – freeing up floorspace and labor by outsourcing assembly allows a company to focus on its niche manufacturing market or products.
Increased productivity – companies that receive assembled products on time can improve their own productivity by producing more products internally and increasing sales revenue.
Improved profitability – with a reputable contract assembly provider, companies can increase productivity and profitability with budget control and assurances of receiving quality products on time.
Improved quality and delivery – companies that are having a hard time meeting in-house assembly demands can improve their delivery by receiving assembled products on time. Working with an experienced assembly provider can improve quality when working with a quality-minded assembly house, particularly one that is certified to ISO9001:2015 and practices quality policies.
Insight gained from experienced assembly providers – experienced assembly providers can offer insight into the most efficient assembly methods and offer suggestions to manufacturers to improve the quality and delivery of assembled products.

These are some of the advantages of working with an experienced and quality-focused contract assembly provider.

Disadvantages of Contract Assembly

Companies seeking the services of a contract assembly provider should ensure that this provider has the experience and ask to see their quality policies and performance, including customer satisfaction and on-time delivery history. When working with an experienced, quality provider, there are not many disadvantages of contract assembly. Some issues that could arise with an inexperienced provider may include communication errors, less control over the entire project, intellectual property risks, and quality and delivery issues.

Communication errors – outsourcing to a third party could create communication errors if either party does not clearly relay assembly or quality requirements or issues that may arise. Make sure your assembly provider is responsive to your needs and specifications.

Less control over the entire project – using the services of a contract assembly provider means trusting the provider and having less control in-house over the process. Working with an assembly provider that has a track record of delivering quality assembled products can ease any concerns over losing complete control of a project. Make sure that a work process is developed with quality checks as required to meet your specifications, including any critical dimension checks and quality audit requirements.

Intellectual property risks – companies that must assemble proprietary products or government projects must ensure the safety of intellectual property. A trustworthy and reliable assembly provider will sign nondisclosure agreements and ensure the protection of intellectual property.

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, is a reliable and quality-focused contract assembly provider with more than 80 years of experience. We provide clear communication, work processes, and quality checks that align with our ISO9001:2015 certification and internal quality processes. You can have confidence in our experience, quality procedures, and highly trained staff to deliver contract assembly products on time and to your specifications.

Careers for The Visually Impaired

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This article was published on May 18, 2021  and updated on  February 16, 2023

Many types of companies have a need to assemble their products, whether a manufacturer that requires the assembly of components for further manufacturing processes or a retailer that must assemble products to make themselves ready for display. Companies that require product assembly must either perform these services in-house or outsource to a contract assembly provider. Outsourcing can be very beneficial to companies, although they should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of contract assembly.

Advantages of Contract Assembly

Companies that utilize the services of a contract assembly provider can realize many benefits that can improve productivity and increase profitability. Some of the ways in which companies realize advantages with contract assembly include increased internal capacity, which allows the company to focus on their niche manufacturing market, budget control, improved quality and delivery, and insight from an experienced assembly provider.

Increased internal capacity – companies that require assembly of products must dedicate floor space and labor to perform in the assembly process. By outsourcing this process to an assembly provider, companies free up internal resources with increased capacity. 

Savings on labor and benefits – by outsourcing contract assembly, companies do not need to hire and train individuals to perform these processes, which saves on labor expenses as well as benefits and continual training with employee turnover.

More resources to focus on niche production – freeing up floorspace and labor by outsourcing assembly allows a company to focus on its niche manufacturing market or products.

Increased productivity – companies that receive assembled products on time can improve their own productivity by producing more products internally and increasing sales revenue.

Improved profitability – with a reputable contract assembly provider, companies can increase productivity and profitability with budget control and assurances of receiving quality products on time.

Improved quality and delivery – companies that are having a hard time meeting in-house assembly demands can improve their delivery by receiving assembled products on time. Working with an experienced assembly provider can improve quality when working with a quality-minded assembly house, particularly one that is certified to ISO9001:2015 and practices quality policies. 

Insight gained from experienced assembly providers – experienced assembly providers can offer insight into the most efficient assembly methods and offer suggestions to manufacturers to improve the quality and delivery of assembled products.

These are some of the advantages of working with an experienced and quality-focused contract assembly provider.

Disadvantages of Contract Assembly

Companies seeking the services of a contract assembly provider should ensure that this provider has the experience and ask to see their quality policies and performance, including customer satisfaction and on-time delivery history. When working with an experienced, quality provider, there are not many disadvantages of contract assembly. Some issues that could arise with an inexperienced provider may include communication errors, less control over the entire project, intellectual property risks, and quality and delivery issues.

Communication errors – outsourcing to a third party could create communication errors if either party does not clearly relay assembly or quality requirements or issues that may arise. Make sure your assembly provider is responsive to your needs and specifications.

Less control over the entire project – using the services of a contract assembly provider means trusting the provider and having less control in-house over the process. Working with an assembly provider that has a track record of delivering quality assembled products can ease any concerns over losing complete control of a project. Make sure that a work process is developed with quality checks as required to meet your specifications, including any critical dimension checks and quality audit requirements.

Intellectual property risks – companies that must assemble proprietary products or government projects must ensure the safety of intellectual property. A trustworthy and reliable assembly provider will sign nondisclosure agreements and ensure the protection of intellectual property.

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, is a reliable and quality-focused contract assembly provider with more than 80 years of experience. We provide clear communication, work processes, and quality checks that align with our ISO9001:2015 certification and internal quality processes. You can have confidence in our experience, quality procedures, and highly trained staff to deliver contract assembly products on time and to your specifications.

Kitting and Assembly Solutions

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This article was published on May 11, 2021 and updated on February 21, 2023

Kitting and assembly services provide many benefits to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as reducing internal assembly costs, improving quality, efficiency and profitability.

Kitting and assembly services provide many benefits to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and companies of all sizes.

What Is Kitting and Assembly?

Kitting various products together is a process of combining items that complement each other or should be sold together and can be used in many industries for a wide range of products. Kitting in manufacturing is often used to have tools or parts that go together that are needed in a manufacturing process so that workers have exactly what they need, where they need them, and at the right time.

Kitting for retail products can include combining products in just about any industry where it makes sense to assemble items together. This includes:

  • Arts and crafts
  • Baby and children’s products
  • Cosmetics
  • Clothing
  • Food and beverage
  • Hardware kits
  • Household goods
  • Pet supplies
  • Toys and games
  • Personal care items like shaving kits, perfumes, or lotions

When kitting products together, all individual items and SKU numbers are combined into one kit with one SKU number, which simplifies inventory processes and can make accounting for small products much easier.

Assembly is another process that provides many benefits to manufacturers and retailers, as items that should be assembled prior to further processing are ready for the task at hand. Assembled retail items can make life easier for consumers and improve sales by providing convenience and value.

Benefits of Contract Kitting and Assembly Services

When companies outsource kitting and assembly services, they realize many benefits when working with an experienced contract kitting and assembly provider. Some benefits include:

Freeing up internal capacity – moving kitting and assembly services to a contract provider allows for more floor space for internal production needs. This allows companies to focus on their niche manufacturing and supports business growth.

Reduced labor expenses – companies can pay a contract kitting provider incentive pain internal labor and benefits, which can pay off in the long run, especially when companies experience high turnover rates and must continually train new employees.

Improved production flow – receiving kitting and assembled products from a contract provider can improve internal production flow and eliminate bottlenecks in the process by receiving exactly what you need when you need it.

Experienced Kitting and Assembly Provider

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, offers contract kitting and assembly services and more than 80 years of experience. We provide kitting and assembly of a variety of products for many different industries and applications. We offer kits for manufacturing, kitting for retail goods, and contract assembly, including mechanical assembly and electrical assembly, with a highly skilled and trained staff.

PPS utilizes a variety of automated equipment, including auto bagging equipment, weighing and wrapping, and packaging equipment in our large, modern facility. We continually invest in our employees through training and cross-training programs and follow a strict quality policy as part of our ISO9001:2015 certification. We ensure complete accountability of all customer-supplied material with our Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP, the system with lot code traceability.

Peoria Production Solutions provides various secondary production requirements such as wrapping, packaging, bagging, filling, kitting and assembly to support your production needs and bring improvements to your internal operations. As a not-for-profit company, we are in a unique position to provide extremely competitive pricing to meet your budgetary goals. Contact us to learn more about how kitting and assembly can improve your processes when working with an experienced and quality-focused contract kitting and assembly provider.

PPS Contract Assembly Capabilities

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Contract Assembly
This article was previously published on May 26, 2021 and updated on 2/8/2023

Contract assembly is a quickly growing industry that is allowing companies to best manage the rapidly changing landscape of labor shortages and supply chain issues. Companies that are having a hard time finding workers to fulfill assembly processes are finding that using the services of a contract assembly provider fills this gap and provides many additional benefits.

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, has been providing contract assembly for various types of businesses and products for more than 80 years, offering decades of experience with many types of assembly needs.

Contract Assembly Services for Many Markets and Products

Many types of companies benefit from using contract assembly services, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), retailers, and various industrial businesses. Peoria Production Solutions offers a wide range of assembly services, including basic assembly of two or more components and multi-step assembly procedures. We provide electrical and mechanical assembly, kit assembly, assembly of point-of-purchase (POP) displays, and many other types of assembly.

We offer the capacity, resources, and staff to complete your assembly needs on time and with the highest quality standards.

ISO9001:2015 Contract Assembly Provider

We follow a strict quality policy as part of our ISO9001:2015 certification, with a staff dedicated to meticulous attention to detail and total customer satisfaction. Our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system provides complete product traceability with lot number control, and full accountability of all customer-supplied material. Our staff is provided with specific work instructions, trained and cross-trained on automated assembly equipment, and dedicated to the highest level of quality standards.

We practice Value Stream Mapping (VSM) exercises to ensure the most efficient operations and elimination of any bottlenecks in the process. With a large, state-of-the-art facility, including 17 shipping and receiving docks, we offer the capacity to set up dedicated assembly stations to maintain the highest quality standards and integrity for each assembly process.

Benefits of Outsourcing Contract Assembly To PPS

Contract assembly services by Peoria Production Solutions provide many benefits to companies of all sizes. Some of the most important benefits realized when outsourcing contract assembly to PPS include:

  • High-Quality Assembly – we follow strict quality policies and provide ongoing training with top-down management involvement.
  • On-Time Delivery – PPS improves dock-to-stock time for many companies with quick turnaround of simple or complex assembly requirements.
  • Cost-Efficient Assembly – PPS has been a not-for-profit company for more than 80 years and is proud to remain a fully self-sustaining organization. As our focus is on providing jobs instead of profits, we are in a unique position to provide cost-saving benefits over other contract assembly companies.
  • Provides solutions for labor shortages – companies can rely on our quality and delivery and not worry about filling gaps in labor shortages for assembly requirements.
  • FDA clean room – we offer an FDA-certified clean room, which allows us to expand assembly services for companies in the food and beverage industry. PPS provides assembly services such as packaging drinks into six-pack units with clean room capability.
  • Reduced overhead, and increased capacity – by outsourcing contract assembly services, companies can focus on their niche market or manufacturing capabilities without dedicating capacity and labor to assembly. This allows businesses to grow with a valued assembly provider alleviating the burden of in-house assembly processes.

Outsourcing assembly services to PPS provides these benefits and many others, allowing companies to rely on our quality assembly services so they can focus on revenue-generating activities.

Peoria Production Solutions has been a leading contract assembly provider for 80 years, offering extensive experience and market expertise in many industries and applications. We provide high-quality assembly with a dedicated staff committed to excellence in total customer satisfaction. Contact us with any questions and to learn more about our contract assembly capabilities.