The pharmaceutical industry is a complex and competitive industry due to ever-changing research and development, regulations and manufacturing processes. Tripak welcomes the opportunity to provide assistance for startups and new businesses with their products or ideas but unfortunately, we do not offer code-stock products or consultation services. Although, here are some handy hints that we have learnt through our 30 years of successfully operating within the pharmaceutical industry.
Understanding your target market
Be sure to communicate the point of difference between your product and your competitors and understand your target market as many larger companies dominate certain product categories (especially in the skincare, nutraceutical and sports nutrition categories). As 80% of businesses fail in the first 18 months, it is crucial to develop a business and marketing plan and to set realistic goals that are achievable for your business, suppliers and manufacturers.
Understanding your product
At Tripak we need to know the following before we can evaluate your specific needs and see how we can assist:
- Product’s characteristics (e.g. liquid, cream, powder or gel)
- Whether you have a full formulation prepared (please note that an ingredients list is only part of a formula)
- Active ingredients
- If the product is compliant with Australian regulations or markets you will be exporting to
- Packaging formats (primary and secondary)
- Manufacturing batch size or order quantity
- Fill size (g/mL)
- Planned launch date and delivery (realistic and according to the complexity of the process)
These factors need to be considered to ensure that you will make a healthy profit on your end product and continue long term production. Please be as detailed as possible when contacting us so we can have a better understanding of your anticipated product.
Please see Manufacturing Services and Packaging Services for MOQ’s and our capabilities. If you have a product ready for manufacture that is not listed in our capabilities, contact us and we will see how we can assist.
Start-up Requirements
Here at Tripak we have learnt over the 30+ years of operations that to get a product to market, and keep it there, takes more than one in your organisation.
To truly succeed in this ever changing industry of billion dollar companies you really need the support of some specialist with you on your journey.
Suggestion such as:
- You, The Entrepreneur, The Ideas Person,
- Logistics Specialist,
- Distribution Specialist,
- Sales & Marketing Specialist,
- Purchasing Specialist,
- Accountant/Financial Controller.
This is an example of the team you may want around you to get your product to market, you may feel you can do all or some of these thing yourself, but you can be easily overwhelmed with the responsibilities you put on yourself. Tripak has seen many people try to bring a product to market only to get halfway through the R&D phase and realise that it is going to take a lot more money and people than first thought. This is not what Tripak encourages, this is why we now ask so many questions when you first make an enquiry with us. Don’t feel disheartened by this, it’s all about preparation, as the great saying goes.
Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
Five P’s of Preparation
- Purpose – what are the key objectives?
- Product – what’s the goal? What’s the end result?
- Participants – who needs to be involved?
- Probable issues – are there any concerns?
- Process – What steps do we need to take to meet our goals?
Research and development
Research and development can take from 3 to 24 months to complete depending on the formula’s complexity and Tripak’s availability. This may mean your planned launch date may need to be modified according to these conditions. See our R&D capabilities for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your Minimum Order Quantities?
Our standard MOQ’s for sachets is 50,000 for the first run per product; and 5,000 per run for bottles, tube and jars. See our Packaging Services for more information on the MOQ and our capabilities. If you have multiple SKU’s with similar characteristics, we may be able to re-evaluate the MOQ requirements.
Our manufacturing MOQ’s range from 200L to 3000L for liquids and 100kg to 2000kg for powders. See Manufacturing Services for more information on our MOQ’s and blending capabilities.
Do you have a product list available?
No. Each formulation is unique to our clients. If you have a product idea and would like a tailored formulation, please see our New Product Development capabilities.
I own my formulation but require manufacturing and packaging services
We offer a total production solution in-house that consists of new or existing product development, contract manufacturing, and contract filling and packing.
Before we manufacture your product, we will need a formulation. Please note that an ingredients list is not a full formula. If you require further formulation development or stability testing to meet industry standards, we offer this as an additional service. Please see Research and Development for more information on our product development capabilities.
If your company owns the intellectual property (IP) on your formulations and you require a quote for manufacturing and packaging services, you will be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement with Tripak Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd to evaluate a prospective business relationship.
We also regularly work with clients who supply their own bulk and are able to provide assistance on any pre-production requirements. For more information, please see our Contract Packaging services.
We can organise your sachet film for you-all you need to do is supply the artwork! We work alongside external printing companies to ensure that your sachet film is of the highest quality and runs smoothly through our machines. We can also help you the technical aspects of you artwork design (e.g. eye-mark placement, barcode, varnish-free area) to make sure your sachets meet our specifications and Australian regulations. If you have already purchased a roll of film you would like us to use, we will need a small sample to test on our machine set-up and ensure it meets our quality control measures.
If you would like secondary packaging such as a shelf-ready carton, we can also organise that for you. Once we have received the sachet size, amount and fill weight, we can size up the carton to your requirements. Sachet film and carton pricing will depend on the print colours, quantity, film laminate, and carton finish and thickness.
For bottles tubes and jars, we ask our clients to source pre-printed componentry and run Quality Control checks before it arrives to Tripak to ensure you have received high quality and functional packaging from your supplier and the correct printing designs.
Can I have a small sample of my product for my clients to try?
As we are a large-scale production company, we have strict minimum order quantities. We cannot send samples of our previous work due to confidentiality agreements but when your order is confirmed and you would like some pre-production samples for sizing up outer packaging, artwork and for quality assurance purposes, we would be happy to assist. Pre-production samples are supplied at no cost to you.
Lead times range from 4-12 weeks for packaging services, 6-12 weeks for contract manufacturing and packaging services, and 3-24 months for Research and Development services. However, this can vary depending on the complexity of your product and what your requirements are as we tailor each development to meet your brief. Your planned launch date needs to be realistic according to the product’s components (R&D required, batch size, etc.). This will be discussed in further detail with you prior to production.
Prices are always offered on a volume-price break basis and final quotes are customised according to your product specifications. See Packaging Services for more information on our MOQ’s.
Generally, new businesses will pay a 50% deposit with the remaining balance due at the end of the product run. Unfortunately, we do not accept credit cards as a form of payment.
Are there any products you don’t do?
Unfortunately, we do not manufacture or package SPF Sunscreens, hair pomades, protein powders, capsules and tablets or private label products.
We currently do not have the capabilities to package wipes into sachets or fill into sachet pouches or stick packs.
If you have defined your needs based on the above and feel ready to take the next step, please be as detailed as possible and contact us to see how we can help you achieve your business goals today.