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Redesigned thermoformed trays reduce waste and costs

American Medical Systems, a provider of medical devices and therapies to restore pelvic health, reduces tray materials use and saves money.

By orienting its medical device needles in opposite directions, AMS is able to place them closer together, reducing the tray siz
By orienting its medical device needles in opposite directions, AMS is able to place them closer together, reducing the tray siz

When American Medical Systems (AMS) chose Perfecseal to redesign trays about a year ago for two needle devices used during the implants of female stress urinary incontinence systems, the company had three goals: increase shelf space, reduce waste, and facilitate handling.

The original trays for the Sparc Sling System and Monarc Subfascial Hammock were bulky and difficult to handle, says Brent Binkowski, operations engineering manager for Minnetonka, MN-based AMS. “They also took up a lot of shelf space and created packaging waste at the hospital,” he adds.

Besides addressing these issues, AMS wanted to switch from a double-barrier tray configuration that included both an inner and outer tray—plus an insert that held the needles in place—to a single-barrier tray to further reduce packaging costs.

Perfecseal helped AMS rearrange the products in the inner tray so that they took up less space. Prior to the redesign, the needles pointed in the same direction, forcing the handles to be spread further apart to accommodate the needles’ side-by-side helical loops. By orienting the needles in opposite directions, the needles could be placed closer together. The new orientation resulted in tray size reductions of 68% for the sling system and 54% for the subfascial hammock device.

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