On Sterile Packaging Day, we are reflecting on one of the ways in which the medical device packaging industry is better together: Understanding the Medical Device Supply Chain.

The Medical Device Supply Chain is Better Together.

When suppliers work with each other, it not only helps a medical device gets launched quickly and safely, but it allows for a patient to receive the life-saving device or treatment. Slowing down the process because of a lack of understanding of the complete supply chain can hurt from a timing and financial standpoint, but more importantly, it slows innovation.

It is imperative that all the different gears in the process are compatible. Therefore, we like to get involved early on in a project so there can be coordination between device design and packaging design as well as optimizing packaging design for the anticipated supply chain.

• What sterilizer is it going to?
• How big is the device going to be?
• How can we optimize this?
• What are the methods of transit?
• How can we work with the distribution center to figure out how it can be oriented on the shelves?
• How can we take into consideration what the distribution center will do?

These questions, and many more, are things we like to consider for packaging design that has more to do with the medical device supply chain than it does the actual packaging.

Continuity is important because to have those compatibilities there are a lot of nuances. When and how is important instead of disjointed efforts from fragmented parties of everyone who has their hands in.