Dual-sourcing a packer without doubling your spend

Dual sourcing sounds tidy until the purchase ledger shows you barely fill one packing house. The useful move is rarely “split 50/50 tomorrow.” It is more often a staged qualification: trial runs on a quieter SKU, agreed surge capacity language, and a clear trigger for when volume migrates.

Start with the SKUs that hurt customers when they fail, not the ones that simply spend the most. Ask the candidate packer for changeover times and minimum run lengths before you talk price. Price follows capacity you can actually use.

Document who owns the relationship on both sides. A second source that only lives in a buyer’s inbox dies the first time that buyer changes roles.