Co-packers compete on throughput per shift and cost per unit. A brand customer selecting a co-packer looks at line speed, changeover time, and error rates before it looks at geography. A packaging operation that can quote faster throughput with documented SKU flexibility wins programs that a manual line cannot serve at the required rates. Robotic automation is now a baseline expectation for co-packers chasing e-commerce and club-store programs where pack configurations change quarterly and the per-unit cost pressure is constant.
We finance packaging and co-packing automation from single pick-and-place workcells through complete end-of-line systems. The minimum we work with is $50,000. Most packaging automation projects fall between $120,000 and $450,000, and the high frequency of co-packing applications in our book means our underwriters understand this business model well.
Robotic Systems for Packaging and Co-Packing
Primary packaging robots handle product directly: pick-and-place into trays, cartons, bags, or clamshells at rates that manual picking cannot sustain across a shift. Pick-and-place robot systems using vision guidance and servo tooling changes accommodate multiple SKUs without significant downtime. A vision-guided pick-and-place cell for consumer product co-packing runs $90,000 to $200,000 depending on product variety, speed requirements, and the number of camera systems.
Secondary packaging, case packing, tray forming, and retail-ready packaging, uses a combination of packaging robots and automated case erectors or tray formers. A fully automated secondary packaging line from case erect through case seal and label runs $200,000 to $600,000 installed. Co-packers who run three or four different case configurations find that a robotic case-packing cell with quick-change tooling pays back faster than a dedicated fixed machine because SKU change time goes from 45 minutes to under ten.
End-of-line automation, stretch wrapping, pallet labeling, and robotic palletizing, closes the labor loop. A co-packer serving a club store or e-commerce brand often handles multiple pallet configurations per day: full pallets, half pallets, and display-ready mixed-SKU pallets. A robotic palletizer reprogrammed via recipe selection handles all three without manual intervention.
Flexible robotic cells that combine primary picking, secondary packing, and infeed sorting into a single floor footprint are increasingly common for co-packers with limited plant space. Robotic workcell financing covers these integrated packages as a single financing transaction.
Co-Packing Operations That Use This Program
Established co-packers with two or more years of operating history and multiple brand customers are the simplest profile to approve. Revenue is diversified, the business model is understood, and equipment value relative to loan is high. Application-only approval covers most of these deals up to the $400,000 threshold.
Startup co-packers and contract packagers in their first two years represent a segment that benefits from our startup automation financing program. A signed brand contract or a letter of intent from a committed customer is a meaningful supporting document when operating history is short.
Co-packers transitioning from food service or private-label packing into branded CPG co-packing often need to upgrade their automation significantly to meet brand owner audit requirements. This transition is a common trigger for a first major robot financing. The existing business revenue from legacy customers supports the application while the upgraded line opens new programs.
How Fast We Move
Brand customer timelines rarely give co-packers much runway between program award and first production date. A six-week window from contract to first pallet is not unusual in the industry. Our application-only process for amounts under $400,000 produces approvals in one to three business days. Documentation execution and wire transfer follow within another five to seven business days. You can have financing committed within two weeks of your initial application, leaving enough time for equipment delivery and commissioning in most program timelines.
For larger integrated systems above the $400,000 threshold, we move to full underwriting with two to three years of financials and bank statements. Structured packages in the $500,000 to $1 million range close in two to three weeks from complete submission. We issue letters of commitment before all documents are finalized so your integrator can start the build while we finalize.
Buyers in this category often compare Spot Welding Robot Financing, and Arc Welding Robot Financing.
Project planning
Frequently Asked Questions
We serve five different brand customers and our SKU mix changes every quarter. Will a flexible robotic cell actually pay back?
Yes, when the cell is designed for recipe-based changeovers. The payback comes from two sources: labor cost per shift, and reduced changeover time that adds productive uptime. If your changeovers currently take 30-45 minutes each and you do three per day, cutting that to under 10 minutes per changeover adds meaningful throughput per week.
Can we finance just the robotic palletizer at the end of an existing line without replacing the whole line?
Yes. A standalone palletizing robot added to an existing line is a common first automation step for co-packers. The infeed must be compatible with the robot's layer-forming or bag-handling EOAT, but we do not require a full line upgrade. The palletizer alone, conveyor and guarding included, is a self-contained financing package.
Our co-packing facility operates on a month-to-month brand contract. Is that a problem for financing?
Month-to-month contracts are less favorable than multi-year agreements but not disqualifying. We look at the actual operating history: how long has the relationship been in place, what does the billing history show, and is the customer a recognizable brand. A five-year de facto relationship on rolling terms is different from a single-month engagement.
The brand customer is providing the packaging equipment, but we need to finance the integration robotics that ties it into our line. Does that qualify?
Yes. Integration robotics, conveyors, vision systems, and EOAT that you own and install to interface with customer-provided equipment are financed as your owned assets. We finance the equipment listed on your purchase order, regardless of what precedes or follows it in the line.
We have a B-credit business profile. What structures are available to us?
B and C credit structures are available, typically at a higher rate and potentially requiring a down payment or personal guarantee. The key factors are current cash flow (bank statements) and the value of the equipment relative to the financed amount. Reach out and we will tell you quickly what is available at your credit profile.
Ready for financing options?
Finance Your Packaging Line Upgrade
Co-packing programs move fast and so do we. Give us the line configuration, your annual revenue, and the date you need the equipment running, and we will have financing structured to meet that date.