This case involves an overseas thermoformed packaging manufacturer. To protect the customer’s commercial information, we have not disclosed the company name or market location. However, the timeline, sample costs, product-development process and order quantities in this article are based on the actual project.
The cooperation began with an egg container sample request in 2023 that did not lead to an order. After we reconnected with the customer in January 2025, the project gradually expanded into trays, bakery containers, fruit packaging and tamper-evident containers.
Two 40HQ containers were shipped in 2025. In April 2026, the customer placed a new order for five 40HQ containers at one time.
An Inquiry We Almost Overlooked
The customer first contacted StlPak in 2023 and requested samples of an egg container. After the samples were sent, no bulk order followed, and the inquiry remained inactive for nearly two years.
In January 2025, our sales team was reviewing previous sample records and noticed this customer again. There was little information in the original record other than the egg packaging request, so it did not initially appear to be a major opportunity.
Our first follow-up received no reply. We contacted the customer a second time, and this time, the customer responded.
We shared our food packaging catalogue and explained that, as a manufacturer, StlPak could provide more than standard products. For projects with sufficient purchasing volume, we could also discuss technical drawings, new mold development and mold-cost support.
The customer was interested and began selecting samples.
A US$650 Multi-Product Sample Shipment
The new sample request was much broader than the original egg container inquiry. The customer selected products from several categories:
- Bakery containers
- Fruit punnets and clamshells
- Tamper-evident food containers
- Egg packaging
- Plastic trays
The international courier charge for the selected samples was approximately US$650. Although this was only the freight cost, the number and variety of samples showed that the customer was evaluating more than one packaging product.
At that time, we still did not fully understand the customer’s business. It was only later in the cooperation that we learned the customer also operated a thermoforming factory.
Its factory mainly produced plastic trays, while its local sales team received enquiries for a much wider range of food packaging. Producing every new container locally would require additional molds, machine capacity and production time. The customer was therefore looking for products that could complement its existing production range.
Each Product Was Quoted by One 40HQ Load
After receiving the samples, the customer asked us to quote every selected product based on the quantity that could be loaded into one 40HQ container.
This required separate calculations for each item, including the number of pieces per carton, carton dimensions, estimated container loading quantity and whether an existing mold could be used.
Over the following two months, the customer continued sending us packaging samples and product references for quotation. Communication remained active, but no order was confirmed.
Instead of only asking when the customer would place the order, we continued discussing products that could fit its local market. On one occasion, we noticed that two containers of hamburger packaging had recently been shipped to the customer’s country. We asked whether the customer had seen similar products in its market and whether there might be a local sales opportunity.
These conversations helped us understand that the customer was not simply comparing prices. It was assessing which products could realistically be added to its existing catalogue and sold by its local team.
Four Products Entered Development
After approximately two months of sample evaluation, quotations and product discussions, the customer selected four products for the first order.
Some could be produced using existing molds, while others required new drawings and mold development. Because the projected order quantity was relatively large, StlPak agreed to cover half of the mold cost.
This reduced the customer’s initial investment while ensuring that the mold and product structure could meet the requirements of mass production.
During the project, our support included:
- Matching the customer’s reference samples with available products
- Preparing drawings for new designs
- Developing the required molds
- Calculating carton and 40HQ loading quantities
- Coordinating production across different packaging categories
The customer also occasionally asked for products outside our standard range. For example, when it needed a rolled-edge tray, we helped search for a suitable supply solution rather than limiting the discussion to products already in our catalogue.
From Two Containers to a Five-Container Order
The first two 40HQ containers were successfully shipped in 2025.
These orders allowed the customer to add bakery, fruit, tamper-evident and other food packaging formats to its product range without producing every item in its own factory.
Following the first year of cooperation, the customer placed a new order for five 40HQ containers at one time in April 2026.
This was not the cumulative quantity ordered by April. It was a single five-container order placed after the two containers shipped in 2025.
| Time | Actual project progress |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Customer requested an egg container sample, but no order followed |
| January 2025 | Contact was re-established after the second follow-up |
| Early 2025 | Approximately US$650 in sample freight was arranged across several product categories |
| 2025 | Four products entered drawing, mold and production development |
| 2025 | Two 40HQ containers were shipped |
| April 2026 | Customer placed one order for five 40HQ containers |
| Current status | Additional packaging designs remain under development |
What We Learned from This Project
This customer did not initially look like a major opportunity. The original record contained only an egg packaging sample request, and our first attempt to reconnect received no reply.
We also did not know at the beginning that the customer had its own thermoforming factory and local sales team. That information emerged gradually through sampling, quotation and product-development discussions.
The cooperation grew because our production capabilities complemented the customer’s factory. The customer could continue focusing its equipment on its main tray products while purchasing other packaging formats from StlPak to serve a broader range of local buyers.
The project developed from one inactive sample record into two containers shipped in 2025 and a single five-container order in April 2026. New products are still being drawn, tested and developed as the cooperation continues.
Looking for Additional Products for Your Packaging Range?
If you manufacture or distribute food packaging but do not produce every format required by your customers, StlPak can help you evaluate existing molds or develop new products for your market.
Contact us with your reference sample, required dimensions, target material and estimated order quantity to begin product matching and sampling.