Why 'We Do Everything' Is a Red Flag: A Buyer's Take on Specialty Packaging

If you've ever managed a packaging budget, you know the pitch: 'We're your one-stop shop. Flexible, rigid, labels, closures—you name it.' Sounds great on paper. In practice, I've learned to be skeptical. Really skeptical.

Here's my take: When a packaging vendor says they can do everything, it usually means they don't excel at anything. I'd rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises. And after comparing costs across 12 vendors over the past six years for our quarterly orders, I've got the spreadsheets to prove it.

The 'Everything' Trap: An $8,400 Lesson

Back in 2022, we were sourcing custom rigid containers for a new product launch. One major vendor—let's call them Vendor A—sold themselves as a full-service packaging provider. Flexibles? Yes. Rigids? Of course. Aluminum? We do that too. Closures? We have a whole catalog.

I almost went with them. Their base pricing was competitive, and the idea of consolidating vendors was tempting. But something felt off. I decided to run a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis—something I'd learned to do after getting burned on hidden fees twice before (note to self: always do this).

What I found: Vendor A's per-unit price for rigid containers was about 12% lower than the specialist we eventually chose. But their setup fees were $75 per color for offset plates (the specialist included it), their minimum order quantities were higher, and their shipping from a different facility meant longer lead times. The 'cheap' option would have cost us roughly $8,400 more annually when I factored in holding costs and the time spent coordinating two different order workflows.

The specialist? They said upfront: 'Rigids are our core competency. We don't do flexibles, but here's who does it better.' That honesty earned my trust for everything else. (I should add that we still use them two years later.)

What 'We Do Everything' Actually Means

In my experience, a truly 'full-service' packaging provider is rare. What's more common is a vendor who spreads their capabilities thin across multiple categories. Here's what I've observed after tracking 180+ orders in our procurement system:

• Aluminum packaging requires specialized tooling, different supply chains for raw materials, and specific quality checks (like leak testing for aerosol cans). A general flexibles printer doesn't have the same equipment.
• Rigid containers have their own complexity—mold cavities, wall thickness variations, and closure compatibility. It's a different engineering challenge than flexible films.
• Nonwoven materials (like wipes or medical textiles) need cleanroom-grade manufacturing, which isn't something a standard packaging line can handle.

The vendor who does all of these is either massive with dedicated divisions (think Berry Global's scale) or they're subcontracting everything. And if they're subcontracting, you lose control over quality and cost. The surprise isn't that the generalist struggles on complex orders—it's how often they still win bids on price alone, despite higher hidden costs down the line.

When 'We Don't Do That' Is More Valuable Than 'We Can'

I'll never forget the vendor rep who told me, 'This isn't our strength—here's who does it better.' We were looking for a specialized aluminum container with a custom lining. Their company was primarily a flexibles house, but they could have taken the job and subcontracted. Instead, they recommended a direct competitor.

That conversation saved us months of headaches and a potential $1,200 redo when quality might have failed. It also cemented them as our primary flexible packaging supplier. The paradox: admitting a weakness in one area often strengthens the relationship in their core area.

How We Evaluate Vendors Now

Based on my experience (and a few expensive mistakes), here's our procurement checklist for packaging vendors:

1. Define the core need. Is this a standard flexible pouch, or does it need a custom aluminum barrier? Don't ask a vendor to stretch beyond their sweet spot.
2. Ask directly: 'What's your specialty?' If they say 'everything,' dig deeper. I want to hear: 'Flexibles are 80% of our volume. Rigids we do, but our lead times are longer.' That's real.
3. Calculate TCO, not unit price. Include setup fees, minimum quantities, shipping from multiple plants, and potential reprint costs. Online printing pricing (say, for brochures) is a simpler model, but packaging TCO is way more complex. (Around $4,200 annually was the hidden cost we uncovered once, give or take depending on volume.)
4. Check for process gaps. We didn't have a formal approval chain for rush specifications. Cost us when an unauthorized aluminum-grade change showed up on the invoice. Now we have a verification checklist.

The Counterargument: What About Scale?

I know what you're thinking: 'But what about Berry Global? They do everything—flexible, rigid, aluminum, nonwovens.' And you're right. A company of that size has the manufacturing network and dedicated divisions to genuinely excel across categories. They're the exception, not the rule.

The key difference? Berry Global doesn't market themselves as a 'jack of all trades.' Their brand positioning emphasizes specific leadership—aluminum packaging technology, for instance—not a vague promise of universal capability. That's a critical nuance. They lead with what they're best at, and their breadth is a bonus, not a pitch.

Most vendors aren't Berry Global. For the average mid-sized supplier, 'full service' often means 'full compromise.' I've seen it cost companies real money—not just in reprints, but in missed deadlines and quality failures that damage the brand downstream.

My Final Take

I have mixed feelings about the 'one-stop shop' ideal. On one hand, consolidation reduces administrative overhead. On the other, I've seen the operational chaos that happens when a vendor overreaches. The solution isn't to seek a single vendor for everything—it's to build a stable of specialists and manage them well.

The best packaging vendors know their boundaries and respect them. They'll tell you when to go elsewhere for aluminum if their strength is flexibles. They'll own their lead times and quote honestly. And when they say 'this is what we do best,' you can trust them on it. That's worth more than any 'we do everything' pitch.