Purpose of the Role
To support packaging development by understanding consumer and customer needs, as well as the technical requirements of packaging, in order to develop a program of work that delivers commercial growth and competitive advantage.
Primary Accountabilities
* Manage relationships with design partners to support the development of best practices. Improve printing processes and reprographics quality, brief artworks, create and maintain cutter guides, coordinate packaging redesign projects for current SKUs, and manage new film changeovers on site.
* Support the new product development (NPD) process to bring new products to market, including trials and transit support. Manage timelines for packaging printing and site introduction.
* Support day-to-day packaging issues at the site, providing assistance to QA and operations teams.
* Develop understanding of packaging products to improve operational line efficiency and product performance.
* Ensure all existing packaging is fit for purpose, compliant with technical and legal requirements, and that specifications are developed and stored electronically for easy access.
* Deliver packaging cost-saving and rationalization projects.
* Build supplier relationships to enhance industry knowledge, track trends and competitors, and strengthen innovation capabilities.
Relevant Decisions and Scope
* Make recommendations to the packaging development team on major decisions, including capital requirements, significant customer changes, major specification changes, lead time adjustments, and film width changes.
* Make decisions regarding film types, specification changes, design adjustments, and machine settings.
Main Challenges
* Resolving quality issues in operations.
* Addressing NPD issues when initial packaging production fails.
* Balancing quality and cost considerations for NPD packaging.
* Reducing packaging costs without compromising quality.
* Ensuring legal compliance in packaging printing and production.
* Delivering artwork under tight lead times.
* Selecting the correct barrier film for product type and shelf-life requirements.