Packaging quality as a success factor?
What does packaging quality mean to you? Is it handling, protection, design or the material that expresses the attribute high-end for you? We explored the topic of quality in packaging and asked ourselves: what does packaging quality mean and is it a decisive success factor?
First things first: packaging quality is not easy to define. Various stakeholders, factors, and expectations influence the assessment of class versus mediocracy.
Let us take you along for a quality check.
What does quality mean in the packaging context?
Different stakeholder groups use different approaches to judge packaging quality. For end users, design, sustainability and user-friendliness are important. Conversely, the maker of the product assesses quality in terms of the protective function, the assurance of shelf life, and stability. For the packaging manufacturer, the complexity of production plays an important role in the appraisal of quality.
Which packaging is the right one?
The right packaging for a product is defined by the requirements imposed by the product. If the packaging does not match the contents, it is perceived as substandard.
For this reason, Wipf AG places emphasis on advising its customers well to assure that the pouch or the laminate ideally matches the requirements of the product. You can read about our consulting process in the article entitled “From the call to the finished packaging”.
Protection is the alpha and omega
Primarily, packaging must protect the contents against external factors such as moisture, oxygen, and light. If protection is not assured, the life or usability of the product will be compromised. Additionally, the product must be safely protected in the logistics chain from production to the consumer. After all, the contents must be in excellent condition when they arrive in the end consumer’s household. Thus, the reliable protection of the product is a decisive quality parameter.
Assuring shelf life
Packaging also determines how long products will keep. Long-life products must be better protected against light and oxygen than those which are used or consumed in a short period of time. Various factors determine how long a product will keep and remain consumable, for instance protection against light and oxygen or the packaging material itself.
Appeal alone is not enough
Packaging is also a precious communication medium that sends the right messages to the consumer. Accordingly: the product and the packaging should convey the same quality impression. After all, the packaging influences the perception of the product’s value. High-end products, for example, should be packaged attractively, and especially in a user-friendly manner. The sense of touch, haptic perception of the packaging, gives the consumer an impression of the quality of the product. Whether the package contains food, cosmetics or other products purchased, it must always be commensurate with what’s inside.
In our article entitled “Seven requirements imposed on packaging” you can find out what it takes to endow packaging with a communication function.
Our quality ambition
At Wipf AG, we produce the packaging that matches our customer’s product. In the process, we leave nothing to chance. We craft packaging that complies with the requirements of our customers and their products. Additionally, with our in-house quality management system, we assure that our packaging has passed all quality tests prior to delivery and lives up to our benchmarks as well as the applicable legal requirements.
Before we offer our customers a newly developed packaging concept, it is subjected to a suite of trials. Every packaging undergoes further testing in our laboratory to guarantee its suitability for the intended purpose.
Many of our packaging types are in contact with food, so strict regulatory provisions must be observed. Our Regulatory Affairs Officer makes sure they are complied with: the safety and health of end consumers is paramount to us.
Various quality certifications are issued in the packaging industry. We are certified as well, as you can see here.
Top-tier flexible packaging solutions
Wipf AG develops and produces high-barrier packaging films and pouches for the food, pharma, and non-food industries. The company employs 200 persons and is one of Europe's leading packaging manufacturers.
In 2014, the venerable family-owned enterprise celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Would you like to learn more about our capabilities?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours, Wipf AG
T +41 44 947 22 11 | info@wipf.ch