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Wanted: Suppliers offering packaging material innovation and expertise

Hard-pressed to do more with less, manufacturers rely on suppliers with industry knowledge, with an eye on sustainability and validated processes.

Materials out of the box
Materials out of the box

What are pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare manufacturers looking for from packaging materials/components suppliers? β€œIn a word, innovation,” says Richard Adams, head of Pack Graphic Design at GlaxoSmithKline in Raleigh-Durham, NC.

He elaborates, β€œInnovative materials and packaging solutions to meet the diversification efforts within our company. The variety of products and requirements of those products coupled with market regulatory constraints forces pharmaceutical packaging to be more creative in a rapidly evolving space. Yes, we rely on suppliers bringing more value to the table. We simply do not have the time or resources to understand what is available and new.”

Ben Miyares, president of the Packaging Management Institute, adds, β€œAs pressures increase to β€˜do more with less,’ packagers, including pharma/medical device packagers, have experienced packaging staff reductions and a loss of β€˜greybeard’ experience on staff. At the same time, technology advances have added disruptive capabilities to the portfolios of venders whose core competencies are, after all, the advancement of their products. The net result is that competent packaging management must rely on the supplier community.”

The Internet makes life easier for life sciences manufacturers to search for packaging material solutions on a global basis, points out Packaging Hall of Fame inductee Edward Bauer.
β€œIt has also opens the door for suppliers to better understand what is available, what their competitors are offering, and how to better serve their customers,” he says. β€œPackaging material suppliers must view themselves as problem solvers for their customers. Most often, they are close to their customers and know many of the problems the customers are trying to solve. Suppliers must look at themselves as partners in the business or product they supply materials or components for, and must treat that business as something to be nurtured, grown, and sustained.”

Sustainability a growing factor

Sustainability continues to grow as a key factor for manufacturers in packaging materials. An anonymous β€œVoices of Leadership” respondent says the company she works for β€œis looking for suppliers to help us meet our goals for sustainability. We have control over what kind of raw materials they use. When we select suppliers they have to meet our material requirements for pre- and post-consumer percentages. However, for some of the materials that come in direct content with our products, like desiccants, bottles, and barriers, we have to use virgin materials.

β€œThe things we can control,” she continues, β€œare cartons, inserts, case shippers, and pallets. On these, we know the process capabilities of our suppliers and we normally try to [incorporate] a high amount of post-consumer components. If we make a change in materials it may impact the product, but we do try and use the best materials for the environment. For example, certain laminated materials for pouches are harder to recycle, and there is no recovery.”

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
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Conveying Innovations Report
Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
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Researched List: Engineering Services Firms