In 2020, the demand for hand sanitizer increased by 1,400% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specializing in chemical manufacturing for industrial hard surface cleaning and treatment solutions, our customer saw the need to begin producing hand sanitizer for commercial use.
CHALLENGE — Labeling a New Product: Hand Sanitizer
Primarily an industrial supplier, our customer produced large drums of product in bulk volume. Developing a product for distribution through retail outlets required packaging in smaller, shelf-ready volumes and something they hadn’t had to source before — product labels. Once they got their production and packaging lines set up, they reached out to PrintFlex Graphics about labels for one-gallon containers.
Marketing and labeling hand sanitizer requires compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) labeling specifications for over-the-counter drugs. Our team has experience with meeting FDA regulations, which sometimes require lengthy messaging with more information than can fit on the front of a bottle.
While working on the hand sanitizer product, the customer also saw the growing need for sanitation wipes. Seeing that they could help fill this demand, too, they expanded their new commercial line to include these wipes. This product also needed a specialized label, one that would fit the unusually shaped tapered tubs.
SOLUTION — Taking Labeling a Step Further
Because of the information and inclusions mandated by the FDA, the one-gallon hand sanitizer containers needed a multi-ply label to allow for expanded content in a condensed format. In addition, our customer needed assistance with designing such a label for their new product. After establishing the best type of label to use, our team at PrintFlex brought in a partner to design the hand sanitizer labels to satisfy regulatory and marketing objectives.
For the sanitizing wipes, we chose a unique die-cut method with a label that was thoughtfully designed to wrap around the tub smoothly. These labels also included the appropriate information and similar marketing design for consistency.
When we visited their production line to see their operational processes, we noticed they were using a manual application method to place labels onto their containers. So, our team worked with the customer to optimize and automate their label application process by sourcing and creating custom equipment, and training their team on how to use it.
RESULTS — New Product Compliance Plus Increased Efficiency
With custom and compliant labels and an automated process for labeling the new products, our customer was seeing increased speed and labor efficiency. Before the PrintFlex team implemented new labeling equipment, our customer struggled to release one truckload of products per day. After, they nearly tripled their production and could produce approximately five truckloads of products in the same timeframe.
Our customer’s labeling process and subsequent education on new equipment ensured confidence in creating high quality, fast and consistent sanitizing materials to meet growing demand. With our help, our customer successfully implemented a new set of products to their business in uncharted territory, enabling new revenue streams during a time of economic crisis. Furthermore, our customer was able to improve their products’ efficiency and contribute to increasing the availability of much-needed personal sanitization products during a health crisis.