Flexible Food Manufacturing
NPC Getting Started Guide
Getting Started With National Packaging
We recognize that every client is one-of-a-kind, so we customize our approach to match your company’s needs. As we move forward, we’ll dig deep into who you are, your awesome products, and how we can team up to achieve your business goals. While our process might differ depending on the situation, we’ve mapped out the typical steps most of our clients go through. No doubt, your journey with us will be uniquely tailored, and we’ll have a good time making magic happen together!
Making Contact
Once you get in touch, we’ll call you within 72 hours max, and usually sooner. We’ll ask you about your products, your goals, and your challenges in achieving them. Then if your needs fit with our skills and capabilities, we’ll schedule a Deep-Dive Consultation either via Zoom or in-person (depending on your location and preference).
NDA: Protecting Your Business Secrets
Before our scheduled meeting, we’ll both sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
We genuinely appreciate the effort you’ve put into your recipe, and we’re committed to protecting your sensitive information. Our goal is to establish a lasting relationship, built on trust and respect, from the very beginning.
The NDA creates an opening for detailed discussions about your product by ensuring your complete protection.
NDA: Protecting Your Business Secrets
In this meeting, with the protection of the NDA in place, we’ll collect all the nitty-gritty details about your product’s manufacturing process, ingredients, sales volume, market situation, and more. We’ll also discuss the relevant regulations for putting it out in the market and engineer quality standards with you.
Some of the key topics we’ll cover include:
What is the reality in your market, and what makes your product unique?- What are the packaging constraints you’re dealing with?
- Where do you see the future of your business, and what scalability concerns might need to be addressed
- What are your quality expectations and concerns?
- What communication elements will your team need in order to drive collaboration?
- What reports will you need?
- What assessments do you expect us to perform on your incoming materials?
- What are the needs to ensure your client requirements and your company’s quality requirements are being met?
What is the reality in your market, and what makes your product unique?And we’ll look at some of the details of getting the job done as well, such as cost, speed, timeline, and so on. Of course, we’ll answer any questions you have about working with us.
Packaging Assessment
We’ll assess your current packaging materials and alert you to any problems you may face with your current suppliers or materials as you scale or opportunities to optimize for cost savings or increased customer adoption. We’ll look for ways to help you benefit from economies of scale while obtaining the highest quality materials from our network of trusted suppliers.
Sourcing
High-quality packaging materials are key for efficiency, consistency, and avoiding waste. We’ll get you information about sourcing materials in larger quantities. We’ll connect you with high-quality suppliers so you can start getting the quotes and information that you need to get the best materials at the best price
Quote
Before our scheduled meeting, we’ll both sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
We genuinely appreciate the effort you’ve put into your recipe, and we’re committed to protecting your sensitive information. Our goal is to establish a lasting relationship, built on trust and respect, from the very beginning.
The NDA creates an opening for detailed discussions about your product by ensuring your complete protection.
Trials
If you accept the quote, we’ll turn our attention to running a trial. This process will allow us to pinpoint where your production lands within the price range we’ve quoted.
Once the trial is completed, then will certify your product and finalize our price because at that point we’ll have collaboratively made all the decisions necessary to ensure that the right product is coming out with the best outcome and the scalability you’re looking for.
First Production Run
The next step is your first production run, which we’ll schedule according to the lead time to get your raw materials.
Ongoing Production Planning
We’ll meet with you quarterly or monthly, depending on your volume, to determine your order size. You’ll need to forecast somewhat in advance so we can make sure we have all the right capacity, equipment, and personnel lined up to take care of you.
We generally look to bring in your raw materials within two weeks of the time that we’ll be producing your goods.
Getting Your Goods to Market
Generally, quality release happens the day after production, and then your products are available the following day for shipping. If shipping via truck, you’ll need to line up lanes of FTLS to get your product.
Alternatively, if you want to make use of our warehousing service, we’ll set you up with an appropriate number of pallet slots for your finished goods. We’ll put you on a schedule to provide us weekly information on setting appointments for shipments to go out. That way, we can stage your deliveries for accurate and efficient loading.
If We’re Not a Good Fit
If we determine at any point in this process that we’re not the right company to support your product, we’ll tell you so right away and do our best to point you toward others who can provide what you need.