OVERFLOW PACKAGING: a reliable solution during unpredictable times

The year 2020 has placed enormous demands on families, communities and companies alike. At the same time, enormous demand has been created for a wide array of household products.

“There has been a huge flux with people’s buying habits due to COVID-19,” says Mallory Stahulak, general manager of MaxPax.

First of all, consumers are buying up hand soaps and sanitizers like crazy. Secondly, people want their surroundings to be as sterile as possible. Thirdly, people are spending more time at home. Consumers are also spending more money on household projects they never seemed to have time for, such as cleaning the siding on the house, detailing the car, and cleaning the deck or patio.

As a result, cleaning products have been surging — a trend that will continue as we head into 2021. To capitalize on this opportunity, product manufacturers need a plan to meet demand.

“As sales began to surge for these types of household products, we quickly saw that many of our manufacturing clients were not set up to handle an instantaneous spike in demand,” Stahulak says. “Our clients immediately looked to us for additional capacity — and we provided it.”

MaxPax is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers with their overflow production and packaging needs. MaxPax has the production space, equipment and personnel to handle a variety of products and packaging types for a variety of industries.

3 things to look for in an overflow packaging partner

Reliability. With roughly 40 years of experience, MaxPax has the proven expertise to function as an extension of your manufacturing business — whenever you may need it.

MaxPax operates several state-of-the-art production facilities equipped with the latest in combination scales, augers, volumetric fillers, and other specialized blending/filling equipment. MaxPax specializes in the precise blending and filling of liquids, pastes, powders, granulars and solids. A variety of flexible and rigid packaging types are available.

“We understand that deadlines are everything when a client is trying to meet a surge in demand for its product,” Stahulak says. But with that said, MaxPax is careful to never over-promise, which some contract packaging providers do in a desperate attempt to win contracts. Overflow packaging is all about delivering product as quickly as possible, while also maintaining the same quality standard consumers have come to expect.

Quality. MaxPax’s cutting-edge equipment and experienced personnel are the main reasons for the company’s proven track record in overflow packaging. Another advantage is the fact that MaxPax has developed its own management software.

The contract packaging industry is notorious for its disjointed approach to management software. Often out of necessity, a contract packager has to use several different software programs across its business. As a result, data sharing suffers and inefficiencies emerge.

MaxPax has taken matters into its own hands. The company writes its own software for production management, warehouse management and quality assurance. Doing so provides significantly better control over the production process and finished product quality.

Versatility. What really sets MaxPax apart is the wide array of products it can produce:

Personal Care – shampoos, soaps, bath salts and more
Cleaning Powders & Liquids – cleaning sprays, detergents, dish soaps, bleach and more
Hardware – paints, stains, epoxies and more
Yard & Garden – deck cleaners, plant foods and more
Automotive – fluids, cleaners and more
Art – paints, adhesives, glitters and more

Some contract packaging companies specialize in one type of product or one style of packaging. MaxPax, on the other hand, does it all.

A proven partner

Even prior to COVID-19’s emergence, overflow packaging has been a significant part of MaxPax’s overall business. Sometimes a product manufacturer has a short-term need, perhaps resulting from a new contract it just landed. Sometimes a manufacturer seeks MaxPax’s long-term assistance, simply because it wants to avoid the headaches associated with manufacturing its own product.

Whatever the case, MaxPax is well-positioned to step in and assist — regardless of the challenges it may encounter.

“COVID has been really tough, but we have never skipped a beat,” Stahulak says. Early on in the pandemic, MaxPax put tight controls in place including employee temperature checks, social distancing in the breakroom, and strenuous cleaning protocols. The company has continued to operate at full capacity through the pandemic. MaxPax has even added numerous employees to keep pace with growth.

“There are a lot of things going on in the packaging industry right now,” Stahulak adds. “It’s nice when you can lean on an experienced company like ours. We have invested in both our equipment and people for a long time. Now that investment is really paying off.”