Switch packaging supplier line by line, not all at once. Move the continuous consumables first, hold a short overlap of old stock, and leave printed and bespoke lines until last because they carry setup and lead time. A switch that stops despatch has cost more than it saved.
Why switching goes wrong
Changing packaging supplier is usually treated as a commercial decision and executed as a logistics one, which is why it so often produces a bad fortnight. The risk is not price, it is continuity: a bench that runs out of tape stops despatching, and no saving survives that.
The second failure is subtler. Like-for-like quoting against an existing list quietly assumes the list is right. If the range was never designed - and on most sites it was not - then switching supplier simply buys the same wrong things from somebody else, slightly cheaper.
A sequence that does not interrupt despatch
- Start with the continuous consumables - tape, film, void fill. They are easy to compare, easy to trial and the fastest to show whether service is real.
- Move the standard outers next, once you have seen that delivery is reliable. Keep a short overlap of existing stock rather than running down to zero.
- Trial anything protective properly before switching it, because a change that increases damage will not show up for weeks.
- Leave printed and bespoke lines until last. They carry setup and lead time, so they need the new run in existence before the old stock runs out.
- Review the line list as you go rather than afterwards - a switch is the one natural moment to remove sizes nobody uses.
| Line type | When to move it | The risk if you rush |
|---|---|---|
| Tape, film, void fill | First | Minimal - easy to reverse |
| Standard outers | Once service is proven | Fit changes, fill use climbs |
| Protective materials | After a proper trial | Damage appears weeks later |
| Retail and shelf ready | After customer approval | Rejection at a depot |
| Printed lines | Last, with run made ahead | Stock-out with a lead time |
| Bespoke cartons | Last, after sample approval | Tooling made to a wrong spec |
What to move when, and what to watch.
What to ask for before you commit
- A specification against your product, not a price against your list - see packaging review and cost reduction.
- A physical sample of anything bespoke or printed, approved with your own product in it.
- A clear answer on what is held and what is made to order, because that is what decides whether a reorder is a delivery or a lead time.
- Confirmation of how run quantities will be handled if you cannot store them - see packaging stockholding.
- Somebody who will say when a change is not worth making.
Ask the new supplier what they would remove from your list. A supplier who only adds to it is selling, not specifying.
What to settle in writing before you move
Most of the friction in a supplier change comes from things nobody wrote down. These are the points worth agreeing explicitly, in both directions, before any stock moves.
- Who owns existing printed stock, where it is held, and how it is released. Stock made to your artwork is normally yours, but the mechanics need stating.
- What is held versus made to order on the new account - that is what decides whether a reorder is a delivery or a lead time.
- Lead times by line type, not an average. Standard, printed and bespoke behave completely differently.
- Who approves samples and how long approval is expected to take. Approval is the stage that slips most.
- Call-off quantities and notice, if run quantities are being held on your behalf - see Trade Packaging Accounts and Call-Off Explained.
- What happens at peak, including whether forecast volumes have been shared and accepted.
Agree an overlap period rather than a switchover date. Running the old stock to zero on the assumption the new delivery lands on time is how a planned change becomes an emergency.
The first month on a new account
The switch is not finished when the first delivery arrives. The month afterwards is when the things that were assumed get tested, and it is worth watching a small number of specific signals rather than forming a general impression.
| Signal | What it means if it goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Delivery hit the agreed day | Continuity is not yet proven - keep the overlap |
| Cartons fit as specified | The specification was taken from a list, not the product |
| Void fill use unchanged or lower | A worse fit has been absorbed by more fill |
| Pack time unchanged or lower | A component has quietly been added |
| No rise in damage or credits | Protective substitution was not like-for-like |
| Questions answered by a person who knows the account | You bought a price, not a service |
What to watch in the first month, and what it tells you.
If all six hold for a month, move the next tranche. If any of them does not, that is far better discovered on consumables than on the printed cartons you cannot replace quickly - which is the whole reason for sequencing the move rather than doing it at once.
The short version
- Move line by line: consumables first, printed and bespoke last.
- Keep a short overlap of old stock rather than running to zero.
- Trial protective materials properly - damage shows up weeks later.
- Use the switch as the moment to shorten the line list.
- Ask for a specification against the product, not a price against the list.
Frequently asked questions
How long does switching packaging supplier take?
The consumables can move in a single order cycle. Printed and bespoke lines take as long as their production run plus a margin, which is why they should be sequenced last and the new run made before the old stock is exhausted.
Should we switch everything at once to get a better price?
It is rarely worth the risk. The saving on a single-order switch is small against the cost of a bench stopping, and a staged move lets you see whether service is real before you depend on it.
What if our current supplier holds our printed stock?
Establish who owns it and what happens to it before you give notice. Printed stock made to your artwork is usually yours, but where it sits and how it is released needs settling in writing rather than assumed.
Will a new supplier quote against our existing list?
We will, but we would rather look at what you actually despatch first. Quoting like-for-like prices the list accurately and tells you nothing about whether the list is right.
Can we trial before switching?
Yes, and you should on anything protective. See How to Run a Packaging Trial Before You Commit for how to set one up so the result means something.