RELYServices·Secondary packagingContract packaging
Secondary packaging · Milwaukee area, Wisconsin
Contract Packaging, Variety Packs & Multipacks
Turn finished products into the packs your customers order, without pulling your production team away from making them.
RELY Contract Manufacturing provides contract packaging from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee area. We assemble variety packs, multipacks, product bundles and promotional configurations for manufacturers and consumer-product brands, run as controlled, documented programs from first release to recurring production.
Bring an ongoing program, a new configuration or work that has outgrown your current operation. A complete RFQ is not required.
Program evidence · Case Study No. 10
A variety-pack launch, shipped ahead of the date.
- 42 days
- From first meeting to first full truckload, March 6 to April 17, 2026
- 30,000+
- 18-can, three-flavor variety packs, March to September 2026
- 0
- Customer-reported pack-mix errors across 30,000+ packs
Results from one warehouse-club beverage launch. RELY received finished, sealed cans and repacked them; it did not fill or process the beverage. Three full truckloads shipped April 17, ahead of the April 20 launch target. The 42 days describe this launch, not a standard lead time, and the 540,000+ cans packed are a separate count from finished packs.
Read Case Study No. 10Retailer-ready floor displays For a national tool brand's fourth-quarter promotion, RELY built and shipped 1,720 store-ready floor displays to 15 retailer distribution centers, one PO each, in 13 build days within a July to September 2026 program. All 15 POs shipped by September 4. Read the retail display case study
On-site retail kit packout Inside a Wisconsin injection molder's facility, RELY ran two-shift kitting and packout of 132,115 four-bowl, four-lid food-storage kits for a consumer brand's retail program, January 13 to June 10, 2026, and held the delivery timeline after a labeling requirement was added mid-run. Read the on-site kitting case study
Pack formats
Variety packs, multipacks and product bundling services
Each pack format puts different demands on the floor. Every configuration is built around a clear product mix, quantity, packaging method and verification plan.
| Format | What we assemble | What the pack specification covers |
|---|---|---|
| Variety packs | Multiple flavors, styles or product variants in one pack | The exact assortment and the quantity of each item |
| Multipacks | Multiple finished units grouped into one selling unit | Pack count, arrangement and outer packaging |
| Product bundles | Complementary finished products combined for a retail, promotional or e-commerce offer | Included products, inserts, identification and presentation |
| Promotional and gift packs | Seasonal or campaign-specific product combinations | Components, finished appearance and release timing |
| Retail packouts | Products assembled into a specified retail or distribution configuration | Carton contents, labels, case quantities and destination requirements |
| Store-ready displays | Finished product and display components built into floor or shelf displays that arrive ready for the store | Display build, product facing, placards, pallet configuration and each destination's ship window |
A variety pack can also be a multipack. What matters on the floor is a clear specification for the finished pack, not the name on it.
Shrink wrapping and secondary packaging
Shrink wrapping can be included for suitable finished products and multipack configurations, confirmed for each pack during program review. Labels, inserts, cartons and shipment preparation can be part of the same scope.
Send a sample or a photo of how the product arrives and how the finished pack needs to leave. We will take it from there.
What we review for shrink-wrapped packs
- Product dimensions and pack arrangement
- Film requirements
- Temperature sensitivity of the product
- Required finished appearance
Why companies outsource it
When packaging work starts competing with production
Situation 01
Your production team is spending time on pack assembly
Finished product is ready, but employees are being pulled into sorting, combining, labeling and packing. RELY takes responsibility for the packaging operation so your team stays on the production work you need to protect.
Situation 02
A launch or new channel needs a new configuration
A product sold individually may also need a multipack, an assorted pack, a promotional bundle or a store-ready display for a new retailer, often against a fixed launch date. Each one runs as its own pack specification, with its own labels, packaging materials and destination requirements.
Situation 03
Recurring demand has outgrown an improvised process
A packout that began as occasional handwork has become a production requirement. We help turn it into a controlled program, with a forecast, release quantities, material responsibilities and verification, before more volume is added.
Situation 04
Packaging work needs to move from another supplier
Start with the current specification, a finished sample, the available inventory and the next required shipment. We scope the packaging program transfer around a representative configuration before the wider program moves.
How RELY approaches production transfersProgram controls
Define the pack. Control the changes. Verify the release.
A packaging program needs more than a list of products. It needs a repeatable way to handle variation and ship the right finished configuration every release. We set these controls up with you.
| Control area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Pack contents | Product identifiers, quantities and permitted configurations |
| Packaging materials | Cartons, film, labels and inserts, and who supplies each |
| Work instructions | Assembly sequence, handling and visual references at the station |
| Verification | Checks for contents, count, identification and finished condition |
| Lot and date codes | What is checked and recorded, and the traceability link between incoming product and finished packs |
| Changes and exceptions | Revisions, substitutions, shortages and held material |
| Releases and shipments | Release quantities, dates, destinations and reporting |
Running the program day to day
- Assembling packs to specification and work instructions
- Performing the verification checks selected for the program
- Maintaining the required lot, date-code and release records
- Escalating shortages, substitutions and exceptions before work continues
Decisions that stay with you
- The pack specification
- Artwork and labeling
- Acceptance criteria for a finished pack
- Revisions and substitutions
- Disposition of held or nonconforming material
Inspection and barcode checkpoints are chosen to fit each program. Traceability and inventory records are settled before production starts, not reconstructed after a problem.
How it starts
From packaging review to recurring production
Understand the product and the finished pack
Share the incoming product, the pack you need and what you know about volume and timing. We work out the handling, packaging and scheduling the program will need.
OutputA clear pack configuration and a straight answer on fit
Set up the materials, instructions and controls
Together we settle who supplies each material, how the pack is assembled, which checks apply and how labeling, lot codes and destinations are handled.
OutputMaterials, work instructions and checks ready for the first build
Confirm the pack before expanding the program
Use a representative configuration to confirm the assembly method, finished appearance, verification steps and production assumptions. Agree on what the initial release needs to demonstrate and who approves the result.
OutputAn approved pack and a documented basis for every release that follows
Run the recurring release schedule
Releases run to the approved pack, with changes handled through one process both teams know. New formats are added the same way, so the program can grow without losing control.
OutputRecurring releases of the approved pack, with reporting your team can track
Case Study No. 10 · Beverage launch
The launch date was set. The packaging line was not.
The starting constraint
A beverage brand had a warehouse-club launch approaching and needed outside capacity to stand up a new 18-can, three-flavor variety pack: six cans of each flavor per carton.
What RELY took on
Receiving single-flavor product from two origins, staging it by flavor and expiration date, building the packs to the supplied dieline and brand specification, palletizing, storing finished goods and releasing them on demand.
Documented controls
Inventory segregated by date so each build held its required expiration-date profile, and the three-flavor mix controlled in every carton.
Measured result
42 days from first meeting to first full truckload. Three full truckloads shipped April 17, ahead of the April 20 launch target. More than 30,000 variety packs and 540,000 cans packed from March to September 2026, with zero customer-reported pack-mix errors.
Launch timeline, 2026
- March 6: first meeting, scope established
- March 19: quote accepted, PO issued
- April 6: production began
- April 17: three full truckloads shipped
- April 20: the brand's launch target
Related fulfillment evidence · Case Study No. 19
Packaging that feeds marketplace fulfillment.
A beverage brand was running Amazon FBA fulfillment in-house while demand and product variety grew. RELY took on the fulfillment work, including variety-pack and multipack configuration, labeling and shipment coordination, with packout definitions and work instructions in place before the ramp and lot and expiration-date verification during kitting.
Measured scope
194 SKUs, more than 20 packout formats and five to seven ship-to destinations per order. RELY fulfilled 360,000 units through Amazon FBA for the brand in 2025, a count of fulfilled units, not finished variety packs. The brand's FBA volume grew 359% over six months, reflecting its own demand.
Supplier qualification
Supplier qualification and food-handling scope
Quality system
ISO 9001:2015 certified
Certificate 263741
RELY's ISO 9001:2015 certification covers contract manufacturing and assembly.
View ISO certificate (PDF)Food and beverage programs
Wisconsin food warehouse license
License 559147
Licensed as a Small Non-Potentially Hazardous Food Warehouse for applicable canned goods and dry merchandise.
View food warehouse license (PDF)Service scope
Secondary packaging of finished product
For food and beverage programs, RELY handles secondary packaging of finished, packaged products. The service does not include food formulation, filling or food processing.
Have a supplier questionnaire or program-specific requirements? Share them whenever available. We can work through qualification alongside the program review.
Location and related work
Wisconsin contract packaging for Milwaukee-area and Midwest programs
RELY operates from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee area. Buyers can see the operation, review samples and walk through the proposed work in person.
N59W13401 Manhardt Dr, Suite 300B
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
For programs elsewhere in Wisconsin, across the Midwest or with national distribution, we plan inbound product, packaging materials, release quantities and outbound destinations together, so the packaging step fits your supply chain.
Discuss your product flow and packaging requirementsPackaging sits inside a broader contract-manufacturing operation. Assembly, kitting, inspection and rework can be scoped alongside it when a program needs them.
FAQs
Contract packaging questions
What is secondary contract packaging?
Secondary contract packaging is outsourced work that groups or prepares finished products in an additional package. Typical work includes assembling variety packs, building multipacks, adding labels or inserts and preparing retail configurations. For RELY food and beverage programs, products arrive already packaged. RELY does not fill or process food.
What is the difference between a variety pack, a multipack and a bundle?
A variety pack combines different variants, such as flavors or styles. A multipack groups multiple units into one selling unit, either identical or assorted, so a variety pack can also be a multipack. A bundle combines products into a defined offer, often with complementary items. In every case, the pack specification determines how the work runs.
What quantity should we provide for a quote?
Start with finished packs per release and your expected repeat demand, then tell us what goes inside each pack. Finished packs and individual product units are different quantities, so give both if you have them. A rough forecast is enough to begin.
What affects packaging cost?
Cost is driven mainly by pack complexity, the number of configurations and volume. Other inputs include handling requirements, packaging materials, verification steps, changeovers and any storage or shipping work in the program. A sample and a forecast are the fastest route to a useful price.
Can you work with our existing packaging materials?
Yes. Customer-supplied products and packaging are common. We confirm the materials suit the process, then settle ownership, delivery timing, replenishment and who covers shortages before production starts.
Can RELY support lot and expiration-date requirements?
Yes. Lot and expiration-date requirements are addressed during program setup. Tell us whether you need product-code checks, finished-pack records or links between incoming lots and finished output. We confirm the verification method and records we can support before production begins.
Can packaging and fulfillment be handled together?
Yes. Packaging can be combined with fulfillment and shipment preparation, as it is in Case Study No. 19. Share your destinations, release pattern and retailer or marketplace requirements and they become part of the program. Our fulfillment services page covers inventory, order releases and shipment.
How quickly can a program start?
It depends on the configuration, material availability, the approvals involved, setup and capacity at the time. Give us your required first shipment date at the start and we will tell you what it takes to meet it. In Case Study No. 10, a beverage launch went from first meeting to first full truckload in 42 days; that is one program's result, not a standard lead time.
Talk through the pack configuration and your launch date.
Start with a non-confidential product description or photo, the pack you need and the date it has to be ready. We can work through the materials, controls and release requirements with you, whether it is one launch, an overflow run or a recurring program.
A complete RFQ is not required to start. Need an NDA first? Tell us.
Call 262.276.0050 · info@relycm.com
Please do not send confidential drawings through the website form or ordinary email. If an NDA or controlled file-sharing link is needed, tell us and we will set up the appropriate next step.