How Production Works In Packaging?

The production department is the pillar of any organization, quietly ensuring everything runs smoothly. A dedicated team of workers in the packaging industry is responsible for assembling boxes, operating machinery, and crafting designs that bring packaging to life.

This behind-the-scenes glimpse will uncover 13 production process steps in packaging’s company production departments. Take a closer look at each step and see how it contributes to bringing your packaging to life. 

How Your Packaging Comes to Life? 

Every business has different departments, such as marketing, sales, and human resources (HR) but the production department contains the real magic. Businesses cannot generate sales without this to establish their identity in the market.

So, everything begins from the production department. It starts with unique packaging designs and concept development that reflect the essence of a brand. Then, the production team takes over and converts these ideas into physical packaging. 

They carefully choose materials, color schemes, and artwork, set up machines properly, and ensure that every detail is perfect. The production and design teams collaborate to ensure that your packaging is not only pleasing but also functional. Using this hidden process, your packaging stands out on store shelves and highlights your brand. 

Production Process in Packaging: 13 Steps 

In our packaging company, we design and manufacture packaging boxes for food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, jewelry, electronics, and other industries. 

The strength of our company is that our production department transforms conceptual ideas into actual products for the market. The process can be quite different based on the company and the project; however, on average, several departments would be involved. These are pre-production, printing, binding, packing, and shipping. 

All of them contribute a central role in monitoring and achieving high-quality packaging to ensure the shipping process is seamless. So let’s start to discuss what exactly each department does: 

1. Design & Concept Development
2. Material Selection
3. Pre-production Planning
4. Plate Making
5. Cutting and Paper Shaping
6. Printing
7. Lamination
8. Add-ons
9. Die-making/Die-cutting
10. Assembly
11. Quality Control & Testing
12. Packing
13. Final Inspection & Shipping
14. Design & Concept Development

The first step involves brainstorming and concept development. This is only possible with communication between designers, clients, and the production department to make sure that all of the perception corresponds to branding and functionality. AutoCAD is a commonly used software to develop precise designs that contain dimensions as well as appropriate graphics. This includes the target markets, the properties and characteristics of the products that the organization would like to develop, as well as production concerns. Once the design is approved, the proposed design guideline becomes the basis for manufacturing.

Material Selection

The material used to make different types of boxes is also known as “stock”. Common materials include Kraft paper, cardboard, corrugated, and rigid material; they are usually purchased in different thicknesses, found in surface density called GSM (gram per square meter). The standard GSM mean used is 210, 230, 250, 270, 300 and 350.

Corrugated stock ranges from 210 to 250 GSM, and 350 GSM.  For heavier products, additional thickness may be applied, and two 230 GSM cards may be glued to make 460 GSM. It depends on the weight of the product and the client’s requirements.

Pre-production Planning

This step involves the organization of all the resources and activities that are needed for production. It includes daily, weekly, and monthly schedules, budgets, and sourcing requirements for materials.  The important part of packaging production is pre-production planning of all processes, to eliminate possible problems during production. 

A close relationship between the design, the printing, and the assembly team worked together to avoid delays and optimize efficiency. Also, the operational team provides a production form to the production team. As the name suggests, it contains all the specific details that are required to create customized packaging including the sizes, the type of material as well as the styles, color schemes, or any other client requirements. 

Plate Making

Platemaking is the process of creating plates for printing and engraving. Printing plates are made to directly transfer the design that has to be printed onto the material. Every color in a design is made on its particular plate. Using modern equipment such as CTP (Computer to Plate) improves accuracy and also shortens the time spent on setting. An accurate plate can produce vivid and throughout-the-production-run uniform results.

Cutting and Paper Shaping

The next step is to cut and shape the paper for printing. Materials are cut into predefined, patterns sizes, and shapes. Die-cutting machines ensure accuracy, especially when these machines are used to cut coordinating folds, slots, and tabs. This stage provides the physical structure of the packaging and sets it for the printing process with printing plates. 

Printing

In the printing process, the design is transferred onto cut paper material with the help of printing plates by using different printing techniques. These techniques include: 

• Offset printing
• Screen printing 

Printed inks and coatings are chosen from high-quality products to adorn trademarks, images, and other writings. Color accuracy and consistency are key to keeping the brand true to itself.

Lamination

Lamination is used on printing materials to protect them and maximize strength. This increases the durability of the outer covering while adding style to it as it also serves as an extra layer of protection. There are three types of lamination available: 

• Gloss lamination 
• Matt lamination 
• Soft touch 

All of the above types give a different texture and feel. It protects the packaging from damage such as moisture, scratches, and wear for an added and more luxurious or premium feel.

Add-ons

Add-ons are like extra features added to the box for protection and decoration. These features provide aesthetic improvements to the packaging, such as: 

• Embossing & Debossing
• Foil stamping
• UV coating 

All these elements help to develop a haptic and visual appeal that helps emphasize brand recognition and customer appeal. Some of the most common reasons given include custom add-ons which are mostly applied in the manufacture of luxury products!

Die-making/Die-cutting

Die-cutting is a process in which special blades are used to cut and perforate packaging material like cardboard, rigid into specific designs and shapes. It is commonly used to create unique shapes, folds, and openings in packaging. Die-cutting depicts extra material to remove while ensuring the accuracy and consistency of each piece. For example, designing windows or special folds in packaging. 

Assembly

These steps involve box assembly, containing extra material cutting, folding, assembling all parts, and apply adhesion to create the final structure. It is done by the assembly team which requires a large number of employees to accomplish this task. This step enables the packaging to be ready to receive the product as well as being strong enough and following a specific design.

Quality Control & Testing

For the production process, quality control proceeded to maintain the quality level and meet the requirements of a design. Drop tests, tests of weight tolerance, and tests of material confirm the packaging fulfills its functions and is durable. The purpose of these tests is to confirm the packaging’s ability to protect its contents. This approach helps in identifying faults before a client receives a wrong product which in turn gives a more reliable, efficient, and quality result.

Packing

After production is over, the packaging is then organized for delivery. The packing process minimizes the effect of transporting items while maximizing space in a shipping container. They arrange items systematically, tag them appropriately to prevent entanglement during transport, and anchor them appropriately. This stage keeps packaging in perfect condition through proper organization until it reaches its destination.

Final Inspection & Shipping

Each package is checked for quality, accuracy, and quantity before it is shipped. Avoidance of last-minute problems is also considered to satisfy the client. Often the finished products are properly stacked and secured, ensuring their safety during transportation. Clear documentation and effective planning ensure that shipments to the client or distribution center are made on time. This makes it possible to complete the production process and create a positive image with the customer.