What is a Packaging Engineer and Why Your Brand Needs One

Packaging is a crucial part of advertising products, communicating brand values, and protecting merchandise during shipping. To ensure your packaging reaches its full potential, working with a packaging engineer can help.

A packaging engineer is a multidisciplinary specialist with advanced knowledge of marketing, material science, and logistics. With the help of an experienced packaging engineer, you can guarantee your products will arrive safely at their destination and attract new customers with eye-catching designs.

In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into packaging engineering and explain exactly what packaging engineers can do for your brand.

What is a Packaging Engineer?

A qualified packaging engineer will listen to a client’s needs, learn about their products, and create packaging that perfectly complements a brand’s best qualities. In addition to a knowledge of aesthetic design, packaging engineers also possess a deep understanding of raw materials and manufacturing processes.

Expect a packaging engineer to work both with primary packaging, the exterior packaging (which should be aesthetically pleasing to the customer), and secondary packaging, which ensures durability throughout the shipping process. 

Packaging engineering is a vital part of any business’s brand strategy. A packaging engineer will take their client’s needs into consideration and help design functional, cost-effective, attractive packaging. To see a packaging engineer’s work in action, consider ordering sample packaging from a qualified packaging company before committing to a full order.

What Does a Packaging Engineer Do?

The responsibilities of a packaging engineer are many and varied. The first order of business is learning about a company’s specifications and needs. For example, if you’re hoping to pitch your product to a big box store like Costco or Sam’s Club, a packaging engineer can make sure your packaging is compliant. 

Packaging engineers also test products by simulating real-life shipping scenarios to ensure product packaging will be safe, practical, and durable. Using their experience with global logistics, packaging engineers can also predict and adapt to changes in the supply chain.

For instance, if your brand relies on paperboard for your product packaging, a spike in price can devastate your margins. A packaging engineer can find an equivalent material or source paperboard from a more reliable source, keeping your costs low.

Packaging engineers can balance multiple variables, like aesthetics and durability, so you don’t have to sacrifice form or function with product packaging. They will constantly keep an eye on costs so you can land perfect packaging without breaking the bank. 

Contact a packaging engineer if you are just starting out or if you want to optimize your existing packaging. They can analyze your packaging and make it more cost-effective, eye-catching, and even eco-friendly if this is a priority for your company.

Related Content: Choosing Materials for Sample Packaging

Why is a Packaging Engineer Important for Your Brand?

In addition to designing stunning, durable, and cost-effective packaging, a packaging engineer will monitor industry trends so your brand stays one step ahead of the competition. For example, a packaging engineer might notice consumers in your industry are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging. If this is the case, they can incorporate recycled or compostable materials into your packaging design.

Keep your eyes out for a packaging company with an in-house packaging engineer. These companies dramatically reduce delivery time by keeping design, logistics, and material sciences all in one place. If you’re ordering sample packaging for a pitch meeting, this quick turnaround time can make or break your pitch. Depending on how complex your order is, qualified packaging engineers can deliver sample packaging in a matter of weeks or even days.

Look for a packaging engineer who can enhance the natural appeal of your product and create layouts that will entice prospective customers. They should have in-house CAD machines, so they can produce mockups quickly and efficiently. With these criteria in mind, you can find an experienced packaging engineer, lower costs, and boost sales.

Enhance Your Brand with a Packaging Engineer

Now that you understand what packaging engineers do, it should be easy to understand the vital role they play in optimizing packaging. From testing materials to creating logos and dealing with supply chain issues, packaging engineers are involved in every step of the packaging process.

An experienced packaging engineer can help you prepare sample packaging for an important pitch meeting with a big box store like Costco or an online retailer like Amazon. Their knowledge of rules and regulations will keep your merchandise compliant and help score huge new contracts.

If you think a packaging engineer might be a good fit for your brand, set up a no-obligation call today.