AboutJim Pfister Expertise Food Engineering/Manufacturing, Food Packaging/Distribution, Engineering Beverage Lines, Reducing operating cost of packaging lines while increasing efficiency. Lean Manufacturing. Incorporating new package technology into existing operations. Training staff to achieve smooth transition from "start-up" to full production. Managing complex projects across multi-disciplinary lines. Equipment PreShipment Factory Acceptance testing and Commissioning programs for new equipment.
Experience Employment history: Over thirty-five years of experience. Managed as much as $40MM in concurrent, multi-disciplinary projects, both domestic and international, and have worked with such firms as Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Hershey`s, and Nabisco.
Organizations: An author and speaker, as well as a member of the IoPP. Past Chairman of IoPP`s Consultant`s Council and Member of the Packaging Equipment Performance Committee.
Question My wife and I run a small cafe in Damascus, VA. We are constantly getting requests for our tartar sauce, and have decided to research bottling it for sale. However, we really don't even know where to start. Any help would be appreciated.
Answer Stanley,
Good Afternoon.
The first thing any potential packer would ask you is what your estimate is of the potential size of the market, i.e., just how many bottles do you think you can sell? I'm sure that you can understand that when you approach a manufacturing facility they need to know that it's going to be worth their while to talk to you. So the first thing is for you to estimate the size of your market (if you have not already done so).
Most manufacturers would want to make at least an eight hour production run. Assuming their instantaneous production rate could be anywhere between 20 and 200 bottles per minute, which equals between 1200 and 120,000 bottles per hour,and which ultimately equals between 9600 and one million bottles per shift. If the size of these numbers totally blows you away, then you're probably not ready to talk to a contract or a private-label packer.
Let me know if you think these type of numbers are realistic. If so, we can talk further about contract packing. Otherwise, you are probably looking at some type of "kitchen table" manufacturing.
