Direct answer
The six things that separate converters
A website list of formats is not a qualification. The plant that will run your poly bags, pouches, or roll stock has to match the spec you are actually buying. Score the plant, not the brand name on the email.
Write the answers in one table before you compare quotes. A lower-looking offer that skipped a column is not ahead.
In-house printing versus brokering
Ask who prints the film and who converts it. A broker can be a useful coordinator. You still need the name and address of the plant that will print, laminate if the structure needs it, and make the bag, pouch, or roll. The certificate has to name that site.
If the answer is a trading company with an unnamed plant, stop and ask for the plant. You cannot score capability you cannot locate.
Equipment and capability
Ask which formats the plant makes: printed poly bags, pouches, roll stock, or some mix. Ask how many colors print in one pass, and whether the press is on that site. PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses, so one pass can carry up to ten inks.
Ask about the structures they will quote for your product, not every structure in the industry. A yes to pouches does not mean yes to your zipper, your gusset, or your barrier. Easy-open is a feature PCI can include. Name anything else so it can be confirmed on the spec.
- Formats made at the producing site
- Colors in one pass, and the press
- Surface or reverse print, if you know which you need
- The feature list on your spec, including easy-open
Quality systems and certificates
Ask which certificates the producing site holds, and read them. PCI is SQF certified and GMI certified. SQF is the food-safety system. GMI is print quality. They are not substitutes for each other, and neither one chooses your film.
Ask for the current certificate, the site address, the scope, and the dates. A logo on a slide is not the certificate. The food packaging guide and the SQF checklist go further on what to read.
Lead time and capacity
Ask which event starts the clock. PCI's standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval. A purchase order dated earlier does not start that window.
Ask whether printing, any lamination, and bag or pouch converting share one schedule or three. A press opening is not a finished-roll date. Ask what a reorder looks like when the art does not change.
Who answers when the spec changes
Name the person who can change a repeat, a color, or a ship date, and how fast they answer. A mid-run change with no owner becomes a missed fill date. Ask who holds the approved spec and who is allowed to revise it.
PCI describes its flexible packaging as made in the USA, in Middletown, NY. Location matters when you need a plant visit or a short freight lane. It does not replace the capability checks above. Confirm the address on the certificate matches the plant that will run the job.
References, samples, and the trial
Ask for work in the format you are buying. PCI supplies brands sold at major retailers. That is context, not a substitute for your trial. A sample that is the wrong structure does not qualify the package.
Define the trial before you need it: incoming checks, print, dimensions, seals, and a run on your line or your co-packer's line. Write who signs the approval.
Score the criteria before you compare quotes
Weight the columns before the quotes arrive, or the most fluent email will win. A simple scale is enough: meets, unclear, or does not meet. Unclear is not a pass.
Request a quote against this checklist
Run your shortlist through the rows, then send the spec. How a converter answers the checklist is the first qualification signal.
| Check | Pass looks like | Not yet |
|---|---|---|
| Plant | Named site that prints and converts | A broker with no plant named |
| Format | Your bag, pouch, or roll, at that site | A general yes to flexible packaging |
| Colors in one pass, and how color is approved | A press claim with no approval method | |
| Certificates | Current certificate, site, scope, dates | A logo with no document |
| Lead time | A start event, such as artwork approval | A single number with no start line |
| Trial | Written checks and a signer | A promise to match existing |
Questions buyers ask
What should I ask a flexible packaging supplier before requesting a quote?
Who prints and converts the job, which formats that site runs, how many colors print in one pass, which certificates cover the site, what starts the lead time, and who approves a trial.
How do I verify a converter prints in-house?
Ask for the plant address and whether the press and the converting step are there. Match that address to the certificate. Visit if the program is important enough to qualify.
What certificates matter for flexible packaging?
Ask for the certificates your own customers require. PCI is SQF certified for food safety and GMI certified for print quality. Read the site, the scope, and the dates on each certificate.
What lead time is typical for custom flexible packaging?
PCI's standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval. Ask any supplier which event starts its clock. A first email is not that event.
How many suppliers should I qualify at once?
Enough to compare, usually two or three, on one spec. More names do not help if each quote describes a different package.
See something that needs correcting? Tell Matt.