Walk through a grocery store. Stop by your favorite restaurant. Open a package that arrived on your doorstop this morning.
It's easy to focus on the product. You see the lettuce and ears of corn, but don't give much thought to how they got there. You order your burger and fries, not even realizing the logistics necessary to get that meal prepared for you. And that overnight delivery...? You can't imagine what had to take place between now and yesterday when you clicked "Add to Cart".
Most of us never see anything that happened before the product reached our hands. Behind almost everything we buy is a story of ideas, deadlines, revisions, engineering, logistics, and people working together to make sure the product arrives exactly as it should. It's a part of business that's almost invisible.
Packaging is one of the best examples.
Long before a product lands on a retail shelf, sits in a restaurant carryout bag, or arrives on your front porch, someone found solutions to dozens of questions:
A great package is the result of hundreds of good decisions. And that's just the beginning.
Great custom packaging has to grab attention, especially with small businesses, but that's only the beginning.
The package has to fit the product, protect it during shipping, satisfy retail requirements, work within a customer's budget, and be manufactured efficiently. A retail display has to look impressive when it's full, remain sturdy as products disappear, and arrive ready to be placed on the sales floor, easy to set up.
Every decision affects another.
A change in material can affect printing. A design change can alter shipping costs. A beautiful concept may need to be re-engineered so it can actually be produced at scale and competitively.
What many business owners don't realize is that custom packaging and displays aren't just about graphic design.
They are solving problems.
Once the design is approved, the real work begins.
Materials have to arrive. Artwork has to be finalized. Printing, die-cutting, assembly, packing, and shipping all have to happen in the right order, on a deadline that feels shorter than anyone would like.
Want an example of great clock management?
Trevor Urban, Ashtonne Packaging's Director of Operations, remembers what it took one time to deliver on a promise, against the clock, and against the odds.
" A customer needed 1000 custom floor displays produced and co-packed for Giant Eagle stores" said Trevor. "By the time the design received final approval, there were only a couple weeks left to complete the entire job".
" The displays still had to be printed, cut, assembled, packed, and shipped. Wehn everything was finally ready, people from throughout Ashtonne, including family members, spent part of their weekend packaging displays so they could leave first thing Monday morning".
The customer met the deadline. The displays made it to the stores.
And the shopper? Well, the shopper walking down the aisle never knew any of it happened. But that's ok because....
The machines matter. The technology matters. Experience matters.
But when a prospect gets squeezed by time or circumstances, nothing matters more than people.
Monday-Friday, there are a lot of things that go right. They get ordered on time, delivered on time, produced on time, and shipped out on time. This happens all over the world and drives our economy every day of the year. But some days, say on a Tuesday in August, something happens that requires more. The great companies step up and deliver.
That's what Trevor says he enjoys most about Ashtonne Packaging. Every project is different, every challenge is new, and everyone shares the same goal: helping the customer succeed. That commitment has helped brands meet demanding retail schedules and has helped startup companies launch products they never imagined seeing on store shelves.
Yes, great packaging companies can deliver excellent boxes, displays, and shipping results. But when companies choose a custom packaging partner, they're also choosing people.
People who will answer the phone when the schedule changes.
The people who understand that your launch date, your retail commitment, and your reputation are on the line, too.
It's true that most people only see the finished package. And that's ok. That's the way it should be.
At Ashtonne Packaging, we have the front -row privilege of seeing everything and everyone that goes into creating it. Reach out and let's talk about how we can bring some of that behind the scenes excellence to your next project. Call 877-522-6937 or contact us via email here and we'll guarantee someone will get in touch with you fast!