| What you are planning | What we give |
|---|---|
| Blister run with a carton printed for your brand | 6 to 10 weeks of production, on a ready-made formula or your own |
| Ready-made formula in stock packaging | Production from 2 weeks |
| Your own formula, outside the blister (syrups and oils excepted) | Production from 4 weeks |
| Effervescent tablets or sachets | Production from 4 weeks, on a ready-made formula or your own |
| Syrups or oils | Production time given in our reply to your enquiry |
| Not counted in the production time | Enquiry, sample and approvals before it; transport after it; registration in the country of sale |
| Shelf life | 24 months standard, stated in the product documents |
| Dates on a blister product | Batch number and expiry date on the carton |
| Minimum runs | By format, on minimum order quantity |
What does the production time include?
Production only. Three things sit outside it:
- Before production: the enquiry, the sample and your two approvals.
- After production: transport, which depends on the destination and on who books the freight: under EXW, the default, you or your forwarder.
- Separately: registration in the country of sale, where the market requires it. The brand owner or the importer files it, not us; ask your importer how long it takes.
These are production times, not dates at your door, and not a promise for every order.
What happens between enquiry and delivery, and what depends on you?
Seven steps. You approve twice before anything starts: first the sample, then the artwork.
| Step | What happens | What depends on you | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Enquiry | Format, ready-made or own formula, quantity, country of sale | Naming the market; the size of your tablet or capsule, if it exists | Reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday |
| 2. Sample | A sample of the existing product, or one developed to your own formula | Your answer on the sample | Before production |
| 3. Approval | The sample, then the artwork for the label, the carton and, on a blister, the lidding foil | Approving the artwork; your importer confirming the labelling rules | Before production |
| 4. Production | The batch is made to the composition you approved | Nothing, while what you approved stands | Blister run: 6 to 10 weeks. Outside the blister: from 2 weeks (ready-made) or from 4 weeks (own formula); effervescent tablets and sachets from 4 weeks |
| 5. Blister and carton | Tablets, capsules and softgels sealed on an Uhlmann B 1240, then cartoned on an IMA IC 150; batch number and expiry date on the carton | Nothing | Part of the blister run |
| 6. Documents | Certificate of Analysis and specification with the batch; copies of the plant's certificates on request | Asking for the copies your importer needs | With each batch |
| 7. Delivery | Worldwide: EXW by default, FCA or DAP on request | Choosing the term; under EXW, booking the carrier | Transport on top |
What does a blister run include?
Besides the batch itself, it includes a lidding foil and a carton printed for your brand, sealing, cartoning and blister tooling for set tablet and capsule sizes. We give the run one production time, 6 to 10 weeks, without a split by stage.
- Printed foil and carton. Both are printed for your brand once you have approved the artwork.
- Sealing. An Uhlmann B 1240 forms the cavities, fills them with tablets, capsules or softgels, seals the foil over them and cuts out the blisters in one pass.
- Cartoning. An IMA IC 150 puts 1 to 4 blisters into each printed carton.
- Tooling. Blister tooling is in place for set tablet and capsule sizes, listed on blister packing. A tablet or capsule in another size, or a blister of your own design, is a run of its own: it starts from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, on terms agreed per project.
What speeds an order up, and what holds it back?
For a given order we do not promise a shorter production time; what you can shorten is the time before it.
- Naming the country of sale in the enquiry, and having your importer confirm its labelling rules before you approve the artwork.
- Sending the size of an existing tablet or capsule, so it can be checked against the blister tooling list at the start.
- A ready-made formula: the sample is of the existing product, and outside the blister production takes from 2 weeks rather than from 4.
- Prompt answers on the sample and the artwork.
What holds an order back is a change after approval: a new composition needs a new sample, and new text on the carton or foil needs the artwork approved again.
Packaging of your own can be used on request; say so in the enquiry.
How long is the shelf life, and which date is on the carton?
The standard shelf life is 24 months, stated in the product documents; on a blister product, the batch number and the expiry date are on the carton.
The expiry date is printed with the carton or applied to the carton as the blisters are cartoned, not stuck on later, so every week of waiting, transit, customs and storage at your importer's comes out of it.
Is 24 months enough for my market?
That depends on how much shelf life your market wants left when the goods arrive, and your importer is the one to ask.
Some importing countries apply minimum remaining shelf life rules to food. Check with your importer whether such a rule applies to supplements, what share of the shelf life it requires and from which date it is counted.
With the answer, plan back from the end of the shelf life:
- Take off the share that must remain on arrival: that is the latest arrival date.
- Take off transit and customs clearance: that is the latest date the goods can leave the plant.
- Size the run to what your distributor can sell in the time left.
What your product decides
Each line shows what a choice costs you in time, run size or risk.
| Your product, pack or market | What changes | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| A ready-made formula in stock packaging | A sample of the existing product | Time: production from 2 weeks |
| Your own formula | Sample development before production | Time: development, then production from 4 weeks outside the blister |
| A blister with a carton printed for your brand | Foil and carton printed for you | Time: 6 to 10 weeks of production |
| Another tablet or capsule size, or a blister of your own design | A run of its own | Run: from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, on terms agreed per project |
| A market with a minimum remaining shelf life on arrival | A latest arrival date, set by that rule | Risk: arriving with too little time left. Run: what sells in the time that remains |
Questions buyers ask about production times
How long does supplement production take?
A blister run with a carton printed for your brand takes 6 to 10 weeks of production. Outside the blister, a ready-made formula in stock packaging takes from 2 weeks and your own formula from 4 weeks. Transport comes on top.
What has to happen before production starts?
You approve the sample first and then the artwork for the label, the carton and the foil. Work on the batch starts after both.
What does the 6 to 10 weeks cover?
Production of a blister run, on a ready-made formula or your own: the lidding foil and carton printed for your brand, sealing on an Uhlmann B 1240 and cartoning on an IMA IC 150, given as one figure, not split by stage.
Can a blister run be done in less than 6 weeks?
We quote 6 to 10 weeks of production and do not promise a shorter time. You can shorten the time before it: name the market early and answer promptly.
Does my own formula take longer than a ready-made one?
Outside the blister, yes: from 4 weeks of production rather than from 2, after a sample of your formula is developed. Effervescent tablets and sachets take from 4 weeks either way. In a blister, both take 6 to 10 weeks, with sample development first for your own formula.
Is the sample included in the production time?
No. For a ready-made formula you receive a sample of the existing product; for your own, a sample is developed to your brief. On a blister, the sample also shows whether the dose fits the tooling in place.
Does registration in my country add time?
Where your market requires it, yes, and that time is not ours to quote. The brand owner or the importer files it; we supply the Certificate of Analysis and specification of each batch, and copies of the plant's certificates on request.
Is 24 months enough for my market?
Ask your importer. The standard shelf life is 24 months, and some importing countries apply minimum remaining shelf life rules to food; whether one applies to supplements, and how much it requires, is for your importer to confirm.
Read more
Minimum order quantity · Manufacturing · Blister packing · Shelf life and storage · Export documents · White label supplements · Private label supplements · Quality and batch documents
Ask about your dates
Tell us the product, ready-made or your own formula, the pack, the quantity, the country of sale and when you need the goods there. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
For tablets and capsules, a blister run starts from 2,000 cartons printed for your brand (at least 4,000 blisters); minimums for every format: minimum order quantity.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu