Bespoke packaging is often considered to be a more costly alternative to standard packaging. While it’s true that customers can buy high volumes of basic plastic packaging at a lower cost than customised glass packaging, when you work with a packaging partner with strong networks and decades of experience, the difference is less than you might think.
With the global customised packaging market predicted to grow around 5.28% annually by 2023, this is actually greater than the predicted 3.94% growth for the packaging industry as a whole, highlighting the value of bespoke creations over standard packaging. At a time when all brands are fighting harder for brand recognition and both real shelves and virtual shops are crowded with offers and products, anything that can help a product-based business stand out is worth considering.
A differentiator that is both affordable and sustainable has to be doubly worth considering, particularly when that increased brand value can be integrated into the cost of the packaging itself. Derek Grey, sales manager for Ireland for Pont Packaging BV, explains how he sees bespoke packaging as the missing part of the jigsaw, bringing his knowledge of developing customised packaging to every project that could benefit from it. With a network of 14 locations, Pont was founded in the Netherlands in 1906, specialising in bespoke and standard glass and plastic packaging for the food, beverage, personal care, VMS and pet care industries ever since.
Grey says, “I’ve worked in the packaging industry for my whole career, over 30 years, and yet I’ve only had two jobs. For the last eight years, I’ve been responsible for sales in Ireland for Pont Packaging BV, a family-owned glass and plastic packaging partner to customers across Europe. I think of packaging as being a jigsaw that needs the right expertise to put it together. There are so many elements to creating the right packaging for a specific application, from the R&D aspect to the relevant legislation to the materials used and the barrier properties, not to mention the customisation and the volumes needed and the logistics and delivery! It doesn’t make sense for many SMEs to have all this expertise in-house, certainly not full time; the expense just isn’t warranted. The packaging jigsaw means that Pont can come in to a customer and bring those missing pieces, ready to fit in exactly where they’re needed.”
Common sense approach to adding value
Artisan, craft and luxury small to medium sized brands are especially able to gain value from bespoke packaging that is made through working closely with a packaging partner. The competition for these brands is tough, often without the marketing budget of the larger brands and almost certainly without the large product development teams.
Grey shares how his approach enables these businesses to take advantage of Pont’s ability to develop bespoke packaging solutions without the bespoke price tag. He says, “I start from a place of curiosity; it’s essentially a consultancy role that comes as part of working with Pont, so there’s no consultancy fee! I have a very common-sense attitude to adding value for our customers. By listening to their current needs and challenges, I can carefully direct them to the best way to deliver their packaging at the price, time and volumes they require.”
With a clear understanding that the packaging is just one element in the major task that is creating and producing a product to get it market ready, Grey notes that his role is one that compliments the considerable efforts of the customer and their team. He adds, “One of my favourite ways to add value for customers is to work together to create bespoke packaging that reflects their brand on the shelf, or online, and protects their product perfectly. I’m always impressed by how much work our customers put into developing their products, with artisan brands like the craft beer brands I work with across Ireland so passionate about what they’re making. My colleagues and I talk to customers about the price point of their product, where it’s sold, how it’s being transported...to understand the whole process right from the start.”
An increasingly crucial part of that process is the forthcoming national and EU legislation on the sustainability of packaging, which is fast approaching and, as Grey clearly states, will affect everyone ‘whether we like it or not’. The sustainability element is not just for forward thinking brands anymore, or for global companies that have standardised their production, but rather it related to everyone that is involved in packaging.
Grey notes that this not-going-anywhere aspect of packaging is also still able to deliver value as an enhanced customer experience, as well as supporting the brand recognition element. He adds, “Packaging customisation is already widely appreciated as a way for brands to differentiate their products on the shelf, but sustainability is another way to uniquely position too. Brands can use Pont to find affordable, practical ways for us to integrate sustainability in their product packaging, well in advance of the regulations, which makes great sense rather than just waiting until there’s no choice.”
With his solutions-focused positivity and the strength of being part of a Europe-wide team that brings value through affordable customisation of a wide range of glass and plastic packaging, Derek Grey shows how realistic it is to utilise bespoke packaging for small to medium brands. He concludes, “Together, we have a clear image of the jigsaw as a complete picture, with each member of our team and our customers’ team bringing our specific expertise to maximise the budget and the project goals, in advance of legislation and in harmony with our values as a packaging partner.”
Derek Grey is Ireland Sales Manager at Pont Packaging BV,