A Transparent Look at Supplement Manufacturing Timelines
How long will it take to bring your next supplement or nutraceutical to market? You may have penciled a target launch date into your marketing plan, coordinating new social posts, ads, and other content with the release. It’s always wise to have these things planned ahead so you can stay on top of the game.
Unfortunately, many brands underestimate launch times. This can easily derail the rest of the schedule and can even risk your new product’s reach and market share in those critical first weeks and months.
This is why it’s critical to understand how long it really takes to move from product ideation to production and delivery of the finished product. Here, we’ll look at the steps in the process as well as common things that can slow down any supplement’s timeline despite best efforts. Finally, we’ll look at some strategies for minimizing the risk of delays, including choosing a reliable supplement manufacturing partner.
How Long Does it Take to Manufacture Supplements? The General Product Timeline.
Generally speaking, you can expect the total lead time for a new supplement or nutraceutical product to be about 12 weeks from start to finish. There are several factors that can delay this process, which are important to be aware of and discussed below. Supplement production steps are designed to ensure product efficacy and quality, and to safeguard your brand. These are:
R&D, Formula Evaluation, and Manufacturing Record Creation (2-3 weeks)
At this stage, the actual manufacturing process will be defined. This is research into how easily the product can be blended, compacted, encapsulated, and packaged. It is also important to determine how readily available the raw ingredients are, any quality concerns, and other factors that could slow down production.
The critical piece that details the instructions for production is the manufacturing record. For the testing instructions, it is the Quality Control Report. The finished product label claims can also determine which components of each ingredient will be tested at the raw material stage and in the finished product blend. If any new ingredients to Paragon are identified, a new part # and testing protocol will be written for that ingredient.
Raw Material Sourcing (2-4 weeks)
In this stage manufacturers identify reliable sources of high-quality ingredients, including active ingredients and any excipients like binders, fillers, flow agents, coatings, capsules, etc. We receive delivery of those ingredients, and they are submitted for testing upon receipt.
Raw Material Testing (1-4 weeks)
In this stage, ingredients will be tested against “standards” for verification of what they are, their potency, etc. Testing for microbes, molds, and heavy metals also occurs now. It is also important to know finished product label claims, as this will impact what testing will be performed and how long it will take. Fortunately Paragon has an in-house laboratory that can perform much of the required identity, potency, and microbiological testing. If all testing can be completed in-house without any issues, then raw material testing turnaround time is approximately 1 week. However, if any testing needs to be outsourced to a qualified third-party lab, then third-party testing can take up to four weeks. In the instance that raw material testing does not yield passing results, then this stage will need to repeat, along with potentially the raw material sourcing stage depending on the circumstances.
Pilot Testing (1-2 weeks)
Sometimes called trial batch testing or bench testing, this is when a very small batch of the product is prepared to verify compressibility or encapsulation of the product. This phase is similar to functional prototyping in other types of manufacturing.
Packaging Artwork and Label Approval
This is often done in parallel with other stages, though delays in this stage can impact the overall timeline. All branding, label data, and other visual elements need to be designed and approved. This includes proofing labels for FDA-compliance with regard to ingredients, dosages, and claims.
Production and Packaging (4-6 weeks)
This includes blending, tablet compaction, filling capsules, and packaging the product into bottles, pouches, or blister packs. Additional testing at this stage includes verifying that mixing is uniform throughout the batch and in each dose, that weight and size are uniform, and that the product dissolves adequately. This is commonly referred to as in-process testing.
Common Causes of Delays
Even with a general timeline of 12 weeks, things can come up that lengthen or complicate the schedule and delay the supplement launch time. Some of these can be reasonably anticipated and planned for; however, in many cases, delays are unexpected or out of your and your contract manufacturer’s control. Some examples of potential delays in production are shared below.
Raw Material Supply Issues
Sourcing ingredients can be one of the longest stages, depending on ingredient availability and how it is produced. While a plant or herb may be easy to source from a number of growers, and longstanding ingredients like vitamin C or citric acid are often abundant, other ingredients are more complex to source. Fermented, animal-based, custom flavors, and climate-specific ingredients that require a specialized preparation and/or harvesting process can add time. Even commonly available ingredients can be difficult to source if larger quantities are needed. All of this can add to the amount of time it takes to receive ingredients.
Artwork and Label Design and Approval Delays
Artwork, branding, and FDA-required label data all need to be designed and approved by your team in a timely manner. However, it’s also critical that graphics and text be scaled to fit the dimensions of labels and packaging. This is especially the case if bottle or box sizes and shapes limit available label sizes or materials for automated labeling or packing equipment.
Component Supply Shortages
In addition to ingredients, things like pouches, capsules, specialized bags, bottles, and caps sometimes go out of stock. This means finding a new supplier with the same or similar products, or simply waiting until more is available.
Manufacturing Scale-up Challenges
Sometimes the ingredients, processes, and packaging operations that work well with small batch products don’t translate smoothly to large-scale production. For example, a larger proportion of tablets or capsules may not have great flow at higher full scale speeds, color coating ingredients used on tablets that mask colors may not be as effective in larger batches, or it may be more difficult to blend certain ingredients as uniformly as anticipated. Natural products also prone to have natural variability in particle size and humidity characteristics, which can affect scale-up production. Especially seasonal ingredients can be vulnerable to scaling up if larger quantities of raw ingredients are difficult to obtain.
Delayed Testing for Finished Products or Raw Ingredients
If your manufacturing partner lacks lab facilities or has limited testing capabilities, this can add time to your product launch. This is especially amplified if there are testing challenges with an ingredient. Paragon Laboratories performs more than 80% of the testing at our own facility, but any time a product or ingredient has to leave the manufacturer’s facility for testing, keep in mind it takes extra time for shipping in both directions, on top of testing time.
How Paragon Minimizes Delays and Risk
When your supplement is delayed, you risk it being slower to market. In addition to slowing down the launch, profitability is slowed too.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a contract manufacturing partner that understands what can go wrong at any stage of the manufacturing process, as well as how to avoid and resolve challenges. Be sure to discuss their industry knowledge, capabilities, and resources with regard to keeping delays and their associated risks to a minimum.
When you choose Paragon, your product benefits from continuity of control and a dedicated project representative who understands your product and your needs. Our team takes a strategic approach to supplement and nutraceutical manufacturing that includes:
Our Proven Process
Since 1971, we have become a leading supplement manufacturer, and our decades of experience have helped us refine an efficient and reliable process. From product assessment and formulation to quoting, testing, manufacturing, packaging, and ongoing product support, Paragon is a knowledgeable partner for your product. Download your guide to our proven process here.
In-house Quality Assurance and Third-party Testing
Keeping the manufacturing process in one place reduces shipping costs, lead times, and miscommunication.
Quality assurance and continuity are integrated into everything we do. Paragon follows extensive standard operating procedures for all manufacturing and testing, and our in-house analytical laboratory is certified as cGMP compliant by NSF and UL.
We test raw materials and finished products for micro-contaminants, mold, and for product Genus, species, and potency. Other analytical tests, including heavy metal testing, are also available. Every batch includes a Certificate of Analysis.
Strong Supplier Partnerships
We maintain relationships with a variety of reliable and vetted suppliers for raw ingredients and components like capsules and packaging. This means you can trust the quality of our products as well as our process.
Support for Selling on Amazon and with Other Retailers
Paragon provides support for getting your product ready to sell with Amazon and other online retailers. We can ensure your product follows Amazon’s FBA guidelines and other eCommerce standards and best practices.
Innovation Partner for Future Growth
With decades of industry experience, Paragon has established valuable partnerships with ingredient suppliers and certifiers that boost its ability to offer innovation insights to its clients. Our team of formulation experts can assist in the development of products with clinically proven ingredients.
More Options, More In-house Expertise, Fewer Surprises. Choose Paragon.
At Paragon, we believe success comes from a solid, proven manufacturing process and having the experience to plan for and resolve challenges. If you’re bringing a new product concept to market, talk to Paragon about your supplement launch timeline or get a quote today.