Why 'Just Check the Specs' Isn't Enough: A Quality Manager's Take on Packaging Pitfalls
Look, I'm going to start with an unpopular opinion: if your quality control process begins and ends with matching a purchase order to a spec sheet, you're already behind. I'm not saying specs aren't important—they're the foundation. But in the real world of packaging for food, cosmetics, and craft goods, that's just the price of admission. The real work, and where most costly mistakes happen, is in the gaps that spec sheets don't cover.
Quality/Brand compliance manager at a mid-sized craft beverage company. I review every incoming packaging component—bottles, caps, labels, closures—before they hit the production line. That's roughly 50 unique SKUs across 200,000+ units annually. And here's the uncomfortable truth: in 2024, I rejected 15% of first deliveries from new vendors. Not for being "out of spec," but for failing in ways the specs never mentioned.
The Illusion of Completeness in a Spec Sheet
People assume a detailed spec guarantees a perfect product. What they don't see is the interpretation gap. A spec says "glass jar, 8 oz, 70mm finish." Seems straightforward, right?
In 2023, we received a batch of 5,000 8oz jars from a new supplier. On paper, they matched: height, diameter, finish dimension—all within the 1mm tolerance we specified. But when our filling line tried to run them, we had a 30% jam rate. The issue? The shoulder curvature was slightly more pronounced. It wasn't on the spec sheet (who thinks to specify shoulder curvature for a standard jar?), but it was enough to catch on our conveyor guides. The vendor's response? "They're within your specs." Technically true. Practically useless. We ate the cost of line downtime and expedited shipping on a corrected batch. Now, our spec for any container that goes on an automated line includes a clause for "compatibility with standard conveyor systems, to be verified via sample testing."
This gets into mechanical engineering territory, which isn't my core expertise. What I can tell you from a quality perspective is that you need to think about the journey the container will take, not just its final state. Will it be filled on a high-speed line? Hand-filled by artisans? Shipped across the country in variable temperatures? Each scenario introduces variables a simple dimension spec misses.
Prevention Isn't Just Checking; It's Asking "What If?"
Here's the thing: a checklist is your best friend, but only if it's asking the right questions. A reactive checklist verifies what was ordered. A proactive checklist anticipates what can go wrong.
After the jar fiasco, I built a 12-point pre-order verification protocol. It doesn't just ask, "Are the dimensions right?" It asks:
- Has a physical sample run on our actual equipment (not just measured with calipers)?
- Are the closure threads consistent through the entire batch, or do they get tighter/looser? (We once had caps that fit the first 90% of jars and then stripped on the last 10%—a tooling wear issue at the vendor.)
- How does the container behave under thermal stress? (A cosmetic client once had beautiful PET bottles that warped in a hot delivery truck because this wasn't considered.)
- Is the labeling surface actually compatible with our adhesive? (Spec said "glass." The reality was a coated glass that repelled our standard glue.)
This approach saved us an estimated $8,000 in potential rework and downtime last year. Five minutes of asking these questions upfront beats five days of crisis management later.
The Hidden Cost of "Close Enough"
You might think, "My volumes are smaller, I don't have a high-speed line, so this doesn't apply." I'd argue it applies more. Larger companies have buffer stock and purchasing clout. A small batch producer getting 1,000 custom-printed bottles for a seasonal launch has zero margin for error. A 15% defect rate isn't a line slowdown; it's a canceled launch.
I worked with a small-batch hot sauce maker who ordered gorgeous custom glass bottles. The specs were perfect. The print quality was excellent. But the bottles arrived packed in a single-layer carton with minimal padding. Rough handling during shipping caused micro-abrasions on 40% of the bottles. Under light, they looked scuffed and unprofessional. Not a manufacturing defect, but a total quality failure. The vendor's liability ended at FOB their dock. The producer had to choose between a delayed launch with reprints or launching with sub-par presentation. They chose the latter, and I'm convinced it hurt their brand perception.
Looking back, I should have advised them to specify and approve the pack-out method in the purchase order. At the time, we were both so focused on the bottle itself that secondary packaging felt like a logistics footnote. It wasn't.
So, What Should You Actually Do? (Beyond the Spec Sheet)
Real talk: you can't become a packaging engineer overnight. But you can shift from a passive receiver to an active partner. Here's my practical advice:
- Order Physical Samples. Always. Don't just approve a digital render. Test the sample with your product. Fill it, cap it, label it, shake it, ship it across town and back. Does the closure leak? Does the label bubble? Does the glass clink ominously in a box? This is your cheapest insurance.
- Ask Vendors About Their Most Common 'Non-Spec' Issues. I learned this from a veteran at Fillmore Container (a company I've used for standard jars—they have a wide variety and solid bulk pricing). I asked, "What do customers usually complain about that isn't a dimensional defect?" Their answer: consistency of tint in colored glass and slight variations in lip finish that affect capping machines. Now I check for those first.
- Build a Relationship, Not Just a Transaction. The best quality assurance is a vendor who understands your end-use. When they know you're filling a carbonated beverage versus a still oil, they might suggest a different wall thickness or closure type. This is where specialty suppliers who ask good questions beat the absolute lowest price every time.
Some will say this is overkill for simple containers. That focusing too much on quality drives up cost. My counter is simple: what's the cost of a lost customer who thinks your product looks cheap? What's the cost of destroying 1,000 units of product because the container failed? What's the cost of a missed market date?
The calculus is different for everyone. If you're prototyping, maybe speed and price trump perfection. But when you're scaling, the equation flips. The goal isn't to eliminate all risk—that's impossible. The goal is to make informed, proactive decisions so you're not blindsided. Because in packaging, what you don't check for is usually what costs you the most.
