Custom food packaging: which solution for your products?
Customized or personalized: it all depends on your industrial constraints
Standard food packaging doesn’t always meet the needs of professionals. Unsuitable format, inappropriate material, poor product protection, few volume and color options, no printing at all… Their price may promise great savings, but their limitations are not negligible. What’s more, they could well damage your image.
The biggest weakness is undoubtedly the lack of personalization. Precisely because they are standard, packaging models from fixed ranges have no identity. They won’t bear your colors or logo. Customers won’t be able to distinguish your brand in a food container that looks like all the others: standard, white, plastic and rectangular.
In order to create your own designs according to advanced marketing strategies, you need to use a custom-made or personalized food packaging solution. What are the differences? We describe both processes.
Customized food packaging, in the strict sense of the word
To stand out from the competition, food manufacturers sometimes opt for 100% customized packaging. Solutions designed entirely for them by packaging professionals, from the shape to the material, offer virtually unlimited freedom of choice (the supplier’s technical constraints being the only limit).
In this way, you can highlight a commercial element, capitalize on the practicality of the container and enhance the customer experience with original product unboxing. With customized food packaging, you can enhance your brand image and meet all your technical, marketing, ecological and regulatory needs. The big drawback to this fully customized packaging solution, of course, remains its cost and development time.
Kombini customized packaging: the flexible hybrid alternative
Cheap standard or expensive made-to-measure, that’s the question. But what if there was a happy medium that combined the best of both worlds? Discover Kombini customized food packaging from Knauf Industries, the most cost-effective alternative on the market!
The idea is simple: create your own packaging by customizing a standard model using a variety of personalization options. You’ll benefit from a practical, sturdy, sales-friendly container for all your food products… and all in much less time than with a bespoke project, since you don’t have to modify your production lines. Our ID Lab research and development center builds on the foundations of our proven ranges to co-design your packaging, which takes less time. Ideal for reducing your development costs and lead times in the food industry!
When should you choose 100% custom-made food packaging?
Pastries, cheeses, vegetables, dishes in sauce… Fully customized packaging preserves the quality of your food products while enhancing their shelf appeal. Choose this solution to bring your ideas to life.
For high value-added products
With customized food packaging, you’re sure to get the result you want. In terms of material, shape, printing, color… your packaging will be unlike any other. It’s a great opportunity to enhance the value of your food products on store shelves.
For large volumes or long-term projects
A 100% customized project is best suited to large-scale production runs. In fact, it’s necessary to invest in a mold dedicated to its packaging, which must then be amortized over time. For trial runs or small volumes, it’s best to opt for the flexible, fast Kombini customized solution.
Key benefits of custom packaging
Made-to-measure may appeal to you for the following reasons:
- Design freedom ;
- Maximum shelf value ;
- Adaptation to specific technical constraints ;
- R&D support from Knauf Industries.
Choose Knauf Industries for eco-design of your customized food packaging. To guarantee strength and durability, we use recyclable materials such as PP and PET. For food manufacturers, we can manufacture attractive, high-performance and practical containers, in compliance with logistical and regulatory constraints.
When should you opt for a customized solution with Kombini?
Do you want packaging that’s functional and practical, strong and attractive? You don’t need to embark on lengthy design and development phases to create your own food packaging. Our R&D team will analyze your needs and propose customized solutions, compatible with your products and in your corporate colors.
For product tests or one-off campaigns
The Kombini hybrid solution integrates seamlessly into your existing processes, with no need to modify your production lines. It’s ideal for short-run projects, or trials of new recipes, seasonal offers and promotional campaigns, for example.
For small volumes and short lead times
With Kombini customized food packaging, there’s no need for molds. This saves you significant investment costs and shortens design times. Whatever your products, we ensure optimized results for every customer. It’s the fastest customization solution on the food market!
Kombini highlights
Choose Kombini customized packaging for the following benefits:
- Custom impression on standard base ;
- Immediate compatibility with your lines;
- Careful protection and presentation;
- Lower development costs ;
- Eco-designed approach.
For a flexible, cost-effective solution, turn to Kombini, the customized packaging from our high-performance Knauf Industries ranges. Recyclable trays, EPS crates, solid ice trays, seafood trays… We adjust and customize innovative solutions to suit your food products and brand identity. Choose French production, efficient and sustainable.
Custom vs. personalized: which solution for your project?
100% customized food packaging might be your first idea, but weigh up the pros and cons of the process first. It’s possible that standard packaging with modular options, just as reliable but more economical in terms of time and money, could tip the balance. So custom or personalized packaging? We take a look at the key differences in the table below.
Criteria | Custom packaging | Custom packaging (Kombini) |
Customization level | Complete (shape, material, design) | Partial (customized footprint) |
Target volumes | Large volumes | Small volumes |
Development time | Long | Short |
Development costs | High (dedicated mold) | Reduced (no mold) |
Objective | Differentiation, brand image | Agility and responsiveness |
Machine compatibility | Possible adjustments | Direct integration |
How do you develop your food packaging at Knauf Industries?
Our collaborative approach enables us to analyze your specific needs and develop food packaging for your products. For a long-lasting, stylish, high-performance container, we follow a methodical 6-step process.
1 – Audit of your needs and co-writing of specifications
Analysis: Discussions with your teams to understand your needs, constraints and objectives
Deliverables: Specifications + schedule of key stages
2 – Eco-design of the solution using digital tools
Digital prototyping: Design with 3D modelling to visualise and adjust your solution
Virtual testing: Digital simulation to validate performance and compliance
3 – Physical prototyping
Full-scale prototyping: Evaluation of ergonomics, aesthetics, functionality and compatibility
4 – Production line testing and validation
Performance under real conditions: Evaluation to ensure compliance with your specifications and processes
Final adjustments : Based on your pre-production feedback
5 – Production start-up
Tooling development: creation of a production mold
Production: manufacturing in compliance with quality standards and regulations
Delivery: finished product on schedule
6 – Monitoring and continuous improvement
Post-production monitoring: performance evaluation and continuous optimization
Environment: impact calculations (Co2, LCA, FDES, EPD) on der=mande
A case study in custom solutions
Enhancing the value of your products with appropriate, designer packaging is the main demand of our customers in search of tailor-made solutions. Here’s an example of an artisan ice-cream maker dissatisfied with his ice-cream log packaging, which he considered too large, impractical and unattractive. The plastic of the cloche was more visible than the log itself, which was also concealed by a layer of frost.
The packaging (base, base plate and lid) had to be completely redesigned to make the product more attractive, and to ensure that it would fit neatly into the container. To achieve this, Knauf Industries co-developed the specifications with the customer, based on their expectations, while remaining true to its eco-design commitments. Our R&D teams created a prototype using 3D printing and manual prototyping in order to test it on the production line. The result: a recyclable PET material, a completely new design and minor modifications to solve the problem of frosting and practicality!
Combine strength, flexibility, design and eco-responsibility with high-performance materials and innovative solutions. Knauf Industries, food packaging manufacturer, designs standard and customized packaging for the food, health, chemical and other industries. Take advantage of our 40 years of experience and our cutting-edge technologies: we support you from A to Z in all your industrial projects.
Custom or personalized food packaging: make your choice
When it comes to personalizing food packaging, there’s no single best solution. It all depends on your project. You can create a precise, authentic design with a made-to-measure container, but you’ll save a lot of time with Kombini customized packaging, which proves to be the perfect in-between: the efficiency of the standard and the enhancement of the made-to-measure.
If you’re looking for the best value for money, look no further than Kombini for all your technical, economic and marketing needs. You get food packaging that’s perfectly adapted to your products, aesthetically pleasing and personalized. Discover our food packaging co-creation offer with our ID Lab R&D laboratory.
Would you like to design a customized food packaging with Knauf Industries? Contact our teams for more information! Get practical advice on creating specifications for food packaging in our article.
