Contract packing allows small, medium and large brands to outsource the packaging of their products, which is particularly important in light of the shifting beverage landscape.

Whether it’s carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), craft beer or wine, convenient, sustainable options like aluminum cans, are providing can filling and seaming manufacturers a path for innovation.

A number of macro trends are empowering beverage innovation and contract packagers/contract manufacturers are helping to fill an important need state, experts say.

With the increasingly varying package shapes and sizes, it’s becoming more challenging to pack out a truck to its capacity, maintain stability, and remove products at multiple locations.

Packaging components and materials are seeing shifts among top-performing segments as well as evolving demands.

With less than two months until its debut, the 15^th annual Packaging That Sells Conference offers a dynamic lineup of branding and packaging experts. 

Trends come and go, a fact that many beverage manufacturers know all too well. Determining which trends will stick can be difficult — especially when it comes to trends within operations. Historically, ink jet coding technology has been the top solution in coding, however, the beverage industry increasingly is embracing laser technology, recognizing that the technology is more than a passing trend, experts say.

Looking across all the categories within the beverage industry, observations showcase that the slogan marketers frequently use, “packaging sells,” might be a reality. The validity is not being challenged; however, the package array on the shelves in most retail outlets indicates that packages, containers, closures and even labels are going through frequent changes at some phase in the supply chain.

An increasing number of SKUs, changing packaging formats and sizes, and a growing interest in personalization are driving a constant need for faster production. Labeling equipment is one area that has felt the pressure from these trends, and the industry continues to innovate to provide beverage manufacturers with the fastest, most flexible machinery, experts say.