Secondary packing
Place finished or primary-packed goods into retail, presentation, grouped or transit-ready outer formats.
Contract packing & co-packing services UK
More packing capacity.
Without more overhead.
Outsource a defined packing stage or complete co-packing build to a production-minded team working from an agreed brief.
Built around the briefStart with the incoming goods and required finished format.
Useful capacitySupport a launch, campaign, overflow requirement or repeat run.
Clear handoverAgree materials, checks, timing and the next supply-chain step.
Contract packing in one sentence
Co-packing is
an external production stage.
Contract packing and co-packing both describe an external company completing an agreed packing activity for a brand, manufacturer or distributor.
The scope may cover a complete pack build or one defined stage. The goods, materials, process, quantities, finished standard and handover are agreed before production.
What contract packing means for your business
A contract packer completes an agreed packing activity for another company. That might be a complete pack build, a secondary packing operation, careful hand assembly, campaign preparation or a defined stage between manufacture and onward distribution.
The useful question is not simply “can this be packed?” It is whether the product, materials, method, quantity, timing and quality standard can be brought together as a workable production brief. Stockholm Ltd starts there.
When outsourced packing can help
- Your in-house team has a fixed launch or seasonal deadline.
- A new pack format creates a short-term labour or space requirement.
- A manual or detail-led stage is slowing the wider production flow.
- You want a repeatable external resource without adding permanent overhead.
- A campaign, sample, kit or presentation pack needs its own defined run.
A better first enquiry
Tell us how the goods arrive, what the finished pack should look like, the approximate quantity, the required date and what must happen next. If you have approved artwork, samples or photographs, mention those too. The team can then focus on the practical fit instead of asking you to choose from a generic menu.
Possible requirements
Defined packing work,
shaped to the project.
The exact method is confirmed only after a product and process review. These are common types of brief rather than a fixed capability promise.
Hand packing
Support projects where controlled manual work, careful placement or detailed finishing matters to the outcome.
Campaign packs
Prepare suitable products for launches, promotions, samples, events, seasonal demand or limited-duration activity.
Multi-part assembly
Bring approved components together into a defined kit, set or pack with an agreed inclusion standard.
Inserts & finishing
Add approved leaflets, cards, dividers or presentation elements where the brief calls for a finishing stage.
Repeat runs
Review recurring packing requirements where a stable brief and planned handover can support repeat production.
Scope before production
Agree the standard.
Then build the run.
A useful contract packing scope gives everyone the same definition of the incoming goods, materials, completed pack and acceptable result.
- Product format, condition and quantity
- Approved packaging materials and supply responsibility
- Pack configuration, artwork version and presentation
- Checks, tolerances and any sample approval
- Schedule, delivery, storage and onward handover
Contract packing FAQs
Useful answers before you enquire.
If your project does not fit a neat category, send the brief anyway. Suitability is determined by the actual work.
What is a contract packing service?
A contract packing service carries out an agreed packing stage or complete pack build on behalf of another business. The product, materials, instructions, checks, volume and handover are defined before production.
Can Stockholm Ltd review a one-off packing project?
Yes. One-off, campaign, seasonal and repeat requirements can be reviewed. Suitability depends on the goods, process, quantity, timing and operational requirements.
Who supplies the packaging materials?
Material responsibility should be agreed during scoping. Tell us what you already hold, what is approved and whether any item still needs to be sourced or confirmed.
What should I include in my enquiry?
Include what arrives, the required finished pack, approximate quantity, materials, deadline, quality checks and the inbound and outbound plan.
Start the review
Tell us what arrives and what must leave.
Send the pack format, quantity, deadline and required result. Stockholm Ltd will review the practical fit.
Make outsourced packing quantities reconcile
Separate received stock from releasable stock
A delivery total is not automatically the quantity available for packing. Record the item code, batch, outer quantity and condition of incoming goods. Keep damaged, unapproved or unidentified stock separate from the quantity released to the job. This prevents a shortfall being hidden inside a packing target.
Calculate the limiting component before booking the run
For an illustrative kit containing two units and one leaflet, 1,000 accepted units and 450 approved leaflets support at most 450 complete kits before process losses. Another 100 units remain unallocated. The same calculation should be repeated for cartons, labels, dividers and any variant-specific item; the finished-goods order alone does not reveal the constraint.
Define partial completion and change authority
Agree whether a shortage means stopping the whole run, completing an approved subset or holding incomplete packs in an identified area. A different leaflet, substituted component or revised pack count changes the build instruction and needs an identified approval route. Record the revision used rather than relying on a verbal message at the packing bench.
Close the job with a material balance
A useful handover distinguishes completed accepted packs, held work, rejected material, unused components and any authorised process allowance. Investigate unexplained differences before releasing the job. Use the process and quality guide to define checks, then review cost and quotation inputs with the actual quantities and material responsibilities.