Testing it Out
When a major retailer expressed interest in carrying COLUMBUS® Charcuterie Snack Trays but required the package to fit within a shelf display system, the packaging team faced a unique challenge. The team needed to create shorter packaging to fit on their shelf displays. At the same time, the team needed to maintain the same product weight, avoid disrupting existing foodservice customers, and ensure the package could continue running efficiently through production.
Before anything can move forward, it must also undergo rigorous testing to ensure it performs throughout the entire process: manufacturing, distribution, and reaching store shelves.
“It’s not as simple as making the tray shorter,” says Ashley King, senior packaging scientist at Hormel Foods. “We reduced the tray length by more than an inch without changing the amount of product inside, so we had to rethink how all three components fit together within the smaller footprint.”
The team got to work redesigning the layout, which meant rearranging components and adjusting the positioning of the meat, cheese, and crackers inside the package. The result was a new tray design that met the retailer’s requirements while preserving the product that already existed.
According to Donicht, what sounds like a simple packaging adjustment often requires extensive coordination. “The amount of work and detail that goes into a packaging change sounds simple”, he says. “Changing a box size, carton, or updating a film sounds easy, but the number of groups in Hormel (Foods) and steps along the way that are involved to ensure the integrity of the package would surprise people.”
With close collaboration across retail and foodservice teams, operations, marketing, suppliers, and manufacturing partners, the team was able to create a single design for the COLUMBUS® Charcuterie Snack Trays that could serve all customers – retail and foodservice combined. The new design removed the need to have two nearly identical products, which reduced complexity and helped streamline production. On top of juggling the design and two different business groups, the packaging team also had to work against a strict deadline to make sure that this new package could be on shelves for people to enjoy in a timely manner.
“There are many moving parts when coordinating production equipment and supplier timelines,” King says. “We stay closely aligned through regular communication and cross-functional collaboration to ensure projects remain on schedule.”
From a reduced packaging footprint to efficiencies in production, this collaboration produced more than just a packaging solution, and demonstrated benefits across the business.
