Robin Hooker and Quinto Marini, UPS05.07.15
A significant amount of innovation goes into the engineering of surgical orthopedic implants and devices. It’s no wonder since these items correct damaged or missing bones and joints, and can be a critical difference between deformity and healthy, pain-free movement for patients.
From rods, hip and knee replacements to other fixation devices, the technology invested in these high-value medical products ups the ante in how they must be packaged and shipped to the end user. Devices must stand up to fluctuating temperatures, damage and contamination risks, and adhere to complex regulatory guidelines.
No doubt, orthopedic device packaging requires some of the most stringent quality controls in the marketplace. With orthopedic surgeons representing millions in revenue to a device manufacturer, the details of packaging perception and functionality are critical. On one side of the coin, package designs must be easy to open and intuitive. Systems should be transparent, allowing for quick recognition and visual cues and good thermoformed designs that will both protect and display items in a manner that supports the surgical team.
On the flip side, shippers must ensure outer package integrity and durability now more than ever since intermodal transportation trends are having more of an impact on shipments. Extended time in transit on inland transportation movements expose the packaging to temperature fluctuations that increase risks. Ocean transportation increases risks through container placement on the vessel, sunlight exposure, container insulation, and dwell time on the dock—all introducing additional packaging stressors.
Emerging Markets Underscore Product Protection
In 2020, healthcare spend in China is expected to be at $1 trillion, but in 2011 it was $357 billion. That’s the kind of growth we’re looking at from a growing middle class and aging population in that region and others such as Latin America and Europe. As more healthcare companies look to go global, providing safe, sturdy packaging that is cost-effective will become even more important to meet growing demands in emerging markets. Just as important is complying with regulations across borders that are often complex and time-consuming. Shippers are being required to align manufacturing and distribution practices that put proper identification and condition of manufacturing storage under more scrutiny.
No matter the shipping challenge, opportunity or requirement, there can be no question about product integrity when an orthopedic device is introduced in the operating room. It must be free from damage and maintain a sterile, aseptic packaging barrier of protection end-to-end. Shipping delays, packaging breaches and other risks must be effectively planned for as much as possible before they happen to ensure product—and patient—protection.
Three Ways to Optimize
1. Test orthopedic packaging, including seal, for endurance, and put prototypes through compression, impact, vibration, temperature, humidity and shock tests. Package optimization should include validation through design qualification, operational qualification and performance qualification protocols. The UPS Package Design and Test Lab partners with healthcare companies and is certified by the International Safe Transit Association and approved by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association.
2. Ensure that medical-grade packaging barriers are compatible with autoclave, gamma, ethylene oxide, and other sterilization methods. Packaging solutions must mitigate the risk of oxidation, puncture and abrasion throughout the supply chain.
3. Innovate continually to create better efficiencies. Optimize the shipping carton, minimizing unused space, and select more precise packaging configurations. Manufacturers that do not continually review, evaluate and update packaging best practices leave themselves open to product risk and cost inefficiencies.
Why This Matters
With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act levying a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, the healthcare supply chain must industrialize. Finding new efficiencies means looking at every aspect of the user experience and successfully harmonizing it with the need to de-bulk shipments and reduce dimensional weight costs.
Furthermore, care providers are paying more attention to how their packages arrive. Oversized boxes, excess packing materials and unsustainable choices can undermine a shipper’s reputation as an efficient partner.
As cost pressures, regulatory oversight and global market demands continue to grow, so does the need for orthopedic device manufacturers and distributors to form strong logistics partnerships to optimize packaging solutions. Now more than ever, the mantra, “It’s a patient, not a package,” must reverberate throughout the supply chain.
Robin Hooker is healthcare marketing director for UBS. Quinto Marini is UPS package design and test lab manage.
From rods, hip and knee replacements to other fixation devices, the technology invested in these high-value medical products ups the ante in how they must be packaged and shipped to the end user. Devices must stand up to fluctuating temperatures, damage and contamination risks, and adhere to complex regulatory guidelines.
No doubt, orthopedic device packaging requires some of the most stringent quality controls in the marketplace. With orthopedic surgeons representing millions in revenue to a device manufacturer, the details of packaging perception and functionality are critical. On one side of the coin, package designs must be easy to open and intuitive. Systems should be transparent, allowing for quick recognition and visual cues and good thermoformed designs that will both protect and display items in a manner that supports the surgical team.
On the flip side, shippers must ensure outer package integrity and durability now more than ever since intermodal transportation trends are having more of an impact on shipments. Extended time in transit on inland transportation movements expose the packaging to temperature fluctuations that increase risks. Ocean transportation increases risks through container placement on the vessel, sunlight exposure, container insulation, and dwell time on the dock—all introducing additional packaging stressors.
Emerging Markets Underscore Product Protection
In 2020, healthcare spend in China is expected to be at $1 trillion, but in 2011 it was $357 billion. That’s the kind of growth we’re looking at from a growing middle class and aging population in that region and others such as Latin America and Europe. As more healthcare companies look to go global, providing safe, sturdy packaging that is cost-effective will become even more important to meet growing demands in emerging markets. Just as important is complying with regulations across borders that are often complex and time-consuming. Shippers are being required to align manufacturing and distribution practices that put proper identification and condition of manufacturing storage under more scrutiny.
No matter the shipping challenge, opportunity or requirement, there can be no question about product integrity when an orthopedic device is introduced in the operating room. It must be free from damage and maintain a sterile, aseptic packaging barrier of protection end-to-end. Shipping delays, packaging breaches and other risks must be effectively planned for as much as possible before they happen to ensure product—and patient—protection.
Three Ways to Optimize
1. Test orthopedic packaging, including seal, for endurance, and put prototypes through compression, impact, vibration, temperature, humidity and shock tests. Package optimization should include validation through design qualification, operational qualification and performance qualification protocols. The UPS Package Design and Test Lab partners with healthcare companies and is certified by the International Safe Transit Association and approved by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association.
2. Ensure that medical-grade packaging barriers are compatible with autoclave, gamma, ethylene oxide, and other sterilization methods. Packaging solutions must mitigate the risk of oxidation, puncture and abrasion throughout the supply chain.
3. Innovate continually to create better efficiencies. Optimize the shipping carton, minimizing unused space, and select more precise packaging configurations. Manufacturers that do not continually review, evaluate and update packaging best practices leave themselves open to product risk and cost inefficiencies.
Why This Matters
With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act levying a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, the healthcare supply chain must industrialize. Finding new efficiencies means looking at every aspect of the user experience and successfully harmonizing it with the need to de-bulk shipments and reduce dimensional weight costs.
Furthermore, care providers are paying more attention to how their packages arrive. Oversized boxes, excess packing materials and unsustainable choices can undermine a shipper’s reputation as an efficient partner.
As cost pressures, regulatory oversight and global market demands continue to grow, so does the need for orthopedic device manufacturers and distributors to form strong logistics partnerships to optimize packaging solutions. Now more than ever, the mantra, “It’s a patient, not a package,” must reverberate throughout the supply chain.
Robin Hooker is healthcare marketing director for UBS. Quinto Marini is UPS package design and test lab manage.