What determines the price and quality of glass packaging?

The quality and specifics of glass production vary greatly depending on the process - what may seem simple at first may actually turn out to be the most difficult part of the project. To avoid misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises, it is worth learning about the basic aspects of glass production and the factors affecting its quality. The basic factors are price, processing, production, packaging and design.

Price for the customer and profitability for the manufacturer

As industry experts often say, “The last thing you want is to become the manufacturer's least profitable customer.” Customers are naturally inclined to demand the lowest price and expect excellent quality. However, from the manufacturer's perspective, the matter is a bit more complicated. Glassworks use a universal formula for assessing efficiency known as MPR (Melt to Pack Ratio) - the ratio of the mass of glass produced to the amount of product leaving the furnace and the amount of product delivered to the customer's warehouse.

MPR is influenced by many factors: imperfections of the raw material, glass breakage, cosmetic or structural defects of the final product, cooling, decoration, varnishing, etc. At the same time, most customers do not realize that even the most advanced technologies do not guarantee the perfection of the process - glass production is still both art and science.

The price of glass packaging is directly dependent on the MPR, the number of shortages and the accepted quality level (AQL). The more defective products the contract with the customer allows, the lower the final price will be.

If a customer demands a minimum price, he implicitly accepts more defective products.

Technologies do not guarantee perfect quality

Achieving a level of quality where every bottle produced is perfect is simply impossible. Yes, the customer can receive such a batch, but only on the condition that the manufacturer manually checks each bottle and eliminates defective products. In such a case, the MPR for the manufacturer deteriorates significantly, causing a decrease in the efficiency and profitability of production and an increase in the final price - sometimes even several times.

It is impossible to avoid defective bottles - random defects are simply baked into the DNA of the production process. Therefore, manufacturers focus on meeting the AQL agreed with the customer, rather than wasting effort and resources trying to completely eliminate defects.

Preparation for shipping

Most products in the industry are packed and prepared for shipment by hand. This usually works out to the benefit of everyone. The human eye is much more effective at detecting imperfections in the appearance or structure of products when bottles or jars are packed into boxes before shipping. Technologies are becoming more and more advanced, but at the current level of progress they will not be able to replace humans for a long time.

Design in cooperation with the manufacturer

Even minor design changes can turn the entire process upside down. And vice versa - what we initially consider almost unattainable actually requires only a minor process adjustment. In any case, everything revolves around AQL - the acceptable quality level, i.e. the share of defective products in a batch. This affects not only the price, but also the feasibility of implementing the project: the question arises whether the manufacturer has the necessary equipment and technologies. There are many factors affecting quality: weight, color, shape, covering, production dimensions, etc. The more such details are provided during the preparation of the project, the more chances that the project will be successful for both parties.

Finally, the more the customer knows about the specifics of glass production, the more effective cooperation with the manufacturer will be. Glassmaking is a complex and capricious process that never produces a perfect result. It is an industry with enormous physical and technological resources, but nothing can cope with the power of nature and the natural processes occurring in the raw material during its processing. The best way to avoid additional mishaps is to deepen your knowledge of the specifics of glass packaging production. In order to be able to set expectations that are adequate to reality. You can always take a simpler route and order packaging through an experienced distributor who has had this knowledge for years.