Define | Packaging Specification & Technical Development

Define

where precision takes shape.

A concept only becomes a product once it can be made, filled, shipped and sold. The second stage of Richmond's unique three-stage methodology takes the concept that closed Dream and proves it, so the specification you sign is one that holds.

Where good concepts come unstuck

(and why it's rarely the design)

Concepts seldom fail because the idea was wrong. They fail on the way to being built:

The specification is not clear enough
Cost pressure forces a compromise
Technical issues appear too late

Every project finds its own version of these. Cost is the one raised most often, and it tends to arrive late, once the room to absorb it has already narrowed.

How 'Define' gets ahead of them

All four share a root: a specification still open while decisions are being made against it. Define closes it. Compatibility, closure fit, decoration, tolerances and cost are settled alongside one another rather than in sequence, because in packaging each one moves the others. Every product on our system carries technical drawings and supporting information, so compatibility is checked against a record rather than an assumption. By the end there is one specification, and everyone is working to it.

What Define looks like

Define is deliberately unglamorous work with a visible result. Samples are tested in our own laboratory, to processes certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, so the pack itself is proven before it comes to you for the formulation and filling trials that are yours (or your fillers') to run. Our in-house packaging technologists guide you through the regulatory and ESG questions, on ground we cover every day and with specialist advisers behind us where a particular question calls for one. What comes out of it is fewer open questions, fewer assumptions, and a pack you can commit to with confidence.

The Define stage always closes with the specification locked down, ready to carry into Deliver (where everything comes together), and to hold for every order that follows.

Start your project

Tell us where you are in the process, and we'll bring the clarity to move forward, together.

Or start with inspiration

Explore Styled Selections for inspiration, or Signature Collections to see what's already working for brands like yours.

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Need an expert?

Our experienced team is here to help. For decades, we've navigated complex packaging challenges every day. Meet the friendly, down-to-earth people who listen closely, work with care, and help you find the shape of the right solution.

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