Q: What are your regular Operating Hours?

Regular Schedule:     6 AM-2:30PM Monday-Friday
Night and Graveyard Shifts:     Available upon demand

Shipping and Receiving hours:     6 AM-2 PM Monday- Firday

Q: How many Employees do you currently have?

A: 3 Office Staff, 18 Regular Employees, 5-15Temporary/On-Demand Employees

Q: What is the process my product must go through to be approved and off to production?

A: After our initial planning meeting, we will order raw materials and produce your lab samples. It may take 2-3 weeks for fresh raw materials to arrive. Your product is then developed in our Lab and submitted to you for approval (PIS and Mixing Sheets are included with all samples). From start to finish, a product usually goes through an average of 2-5 customer revisions – each revision takes about a week to turn around.

Once we have an approved formula from you, the time until production (6-8 weeks to receipt of finished goods).

Q: What are your standard Credit Terms for a NEW client?

A: 50% down prior to production and the balance prior to shipment.    Special arrangements are available for certain clients (pending credit approval).

Q: Do established clients have ongoing, rotating Credit with you?

A: Absolutely.

Q: Who do I Contact when I have questions?

A: Amy@alpackaging.com

Q: Who owns the formula/formulation rights?

A: If you bring us a 100% complete formula (meaning you know all the ingredients with their exact corresponding ingredient percentages), you obviously own that formula.

If we must extensively re-formulate your product, we will work with you on ownership. We usually do not charge a fee for these types of revisions because we know we both are committed to one another. Thus, traditionally we do not charge for revisions knowing that you will manufacture with us. However, in some circumstances, we will come to an agreement with our clients (on formula ownership) based upon a certain number of units to be produced with us and/or over a certain time period. Ask for details.

Q: Can you help us with our Label Claims and Compliance?

A: No, our Quality personnel can help advise but our customers need to obtain legal counsel.

Q: What are the most recent findings of the FDA Audits?

A: To date, we have always received a “clean” status report from the FDA, meaning that we are compliant and we have no judgments. Aerosol and Liquid Packaging is always improving policies and will continue to implement minor procedure corrections and documentation adjustments as suggested by the FDA as they are constantly changing. Additionally, this is public knowledge available at fda.gov.

Q: Do you produce products that are certified by the FDA?

A: No. The FDA does not certify any products. However, the FDA does certify and provide licenses to approved manufacturing facilities, like Aerosol and Liquid Packaging. All of our products are manufactured in an FDA-Approved, cGMP certified facility. Because we produce OTC products, we also have higher quality standards than most facilities.

Q: Do you offer 100% unique Product Development?

A: Yes.

Q: What do you charge for Product Development?

A: Certain basic product development requires a nominal fee. However, for more standard development projects, we charge to cover lab time and testing labor; although these services are not profit centers for us.

For more involved product development we usually ask for a $1,500 retainer. A $750credit will be given to you on your first order. Determination of which section of the Product Development pricing structure your company falls into is made by our team and provided to you prior to any development beginning.

Q: What should my expectations be with regards to Product Development?

A: Most product development takes 4-12 weeks to complete, depending upon our customer required changes and feedback. Essentially you determine the process length.

Q: I do not have space to store Packaging Components or Finished Goods? Can you ship some of them when needed?

A: Yes. We have warehouse space available for a fee $100-$200 a month. Yes, we can ship finished bulk product to you upon request. We are not a Fulfillment House though (i.e. we do not ship small individual quantities to separate addresses).

Q: How do you compare to other Contract Packagers (production size and facility capabilities)?

A: Aerosol and Liquid Packaging is a niche Contract Packager. We focus on helping smaller companies form their foundation and get established. We assist medium sized companies to take the next growth step by refining product lines and improving quality. We work with large companies in developing and introducing new, innovative product lines.

Q: Do you have Product Liability Insurance (PLI)?

A: Yes. Aerosol and Liquid Packaging has a $2,000,000 policy in place for certain “Premier Customers.”

We always encourage our customers to carry their own product insurance for issues that may arise with consumption. Aerosol and Liquid Packaging is responsible to produce the product correctly but not to protect you against third party law suits.

Please request details and specifics from us ($2,000,000 Aggregate and $1,000,000 per occurrence).

Q: What packaging options can you fill “In-House?”

A: Aerosols, Drums, Totes, Bulk, Gallons all the way down to a ½ oz fill.

Q: If we need help designing and procuring packaging, can you help us?

A: Yes, we can help with every aspect of packaging and “Master Shipper” design.

Q: Do you help customers find placement and distribution channels for their products?

A: No.

Q: What are your “batching kettle” sizes?

A: 75, 165, 260, 900 and 1,100 gallon.

Q: What are your standard production run minimums?

A: 5,000 units for most products. If your product is an OTC then minimums are 10,000.

Q: What is a standard turn-around time for a project with an approved formula?

A: 3 to 6 weeks (on average) when a purchase order is received and all components are in house, we strive to deliver sooner than that, if possible.

Q: How do our labels need to arrive at Aerosol and Liquid Packaging?

A: #4 WIND for wrap around and #3 and #4 WIND for front and back (we prefer labels with repositionable adhesive)

Q: What happens to my finished-goods delivery-time-line when the formula is altered?

A: The 6-8 week turnaround time is reset each time changes are made to the formula because the new formula now needs to be retested, re-verified and product stability re-established.

Q: What is the average turnaround time for packaging to arrive?

A: This depends on what packaging option(s) you prefer. This is often the biggest delay in the process.  On average, packaging takes 8 weeks.  However, we have seen time lines of up to 24 weeks.

Q: When you say your materials are USP Grade, what does that mean?

A: The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other health-care products manufactured in the United States. The USP conducts verification programs for dietary supplement ingredients and products. These programs involve independent testing and review to verify ingredient and product integrity, purity, and potency for manufacturers who choose to participate. For more information, visit their website at www.usp.org.

Q: How soon after production will my product(s) be shipped?

A: Aerosol and Liquid Packaging standard QA/QC time-line is as follows: Immediately after a production run, samples are taken and sent to be tested if required.  If your product doesn’t require testing then it will be shipped immediately.

Q: What happens if my product is “bad?”

A: Aerosol and Liquid Packaging stands behind our products 100% and will insure your satisfaction. We always work with our customers because our reputation in the industry and our customer relationships mean everything to us.

~Q: Is there a manufacturing “Setup Fee” in addition to the prices we will receive?

A: No, price quotes include all manufacturing setup fees.  However, there may be certain circumstances where multiple product runs (instead of one larger product run) may incur additional costs.

~Q: What is the cost of a Minimum Production Run?

A: Our standard minimum order is 5000 units but certain circumstances do arise and we will work with you. Under 5000 piece liquid fills it is a $250.00 small run charge, on aerosols it is $500.00.

~Q: What do you charge for Product Development?

A: Basic product development is FREE. For more standard development projects, we charge $150 per hour. For more involved product development we usually ask for a $1,500 retainer. A $750 credit will be given to you on your first order. Determination of which section of the Product Development pricing structure your company falls into is made by our Master Chemist and provided to you prior to any development beginning.

Q: How do you charge for storage?

A: Traditionally, we do not charge for storage of Raw Materials, Packaging Components or Finished Goods. ~    Circumstances may arise and we will address those charges with you ahead of time (i.e. long term storage).

Q: How much could our Packaging Cost us?

A: On small orders, packaging could be 60-70% of your total cost of Finished Goods (depending on your choices). On medium sized orders, packaging could be 50-60% of Finished Goods (depending on your choices). On large orders, packaging could be 40-50% of Finished Goods (it all depends on your choices). Packaging options provide an incredible range of choices: From under $1.00 to $8.00 per unit or more.  We do not provide packaging however we deal with companies that we can either purchase from on your behalf, or we can connect you with.

Q: What costs are involved with getting Labels created?

A: We do not design labels but we can suggest who we work with on label design and printing. One thing you ought to be aware of is that when the labels are printed, one of the charges that you will notice is a “plate charge.” This is a one-time fee, and one plate is needed for each color used on your label. Each plate has an individual cost. This plate fee is subject to change by the printer. The only time you will ever need to pay for new plates is if you make any changes to the label in between production runs.

Q: What certifications do Aerosol and Liquid Packaging have?

A: Aerosol and Liquid Packaging is cGMP compliant and we have an alcohol license and are monitored by the ATF.

Q: What sets Aerosol and Liquid Packaging apart from the numerous manufacturers available?

A: Experience. We look out for you, we know where problems can arise and we proactively troubleshoot for you. For example, some customer supplied components may save you time and money on the front end but could cause extreme delays on the back end. If you are planning to provide us with Raw Materials or Packaging Components which you procure, be sure to let us know so we can verify compatibility.