Medical Device Link.

Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News Magazine
PMPN Article Index

Originally Published March 2000

OUR VIEW

Web Sites Tailored for Packagers Connect the Dots

Networking—the process of sharing information—routinely takes place in every industry. Professionals regularly ask for help from those with greater expertise or experience in a particular area. The range and quality of information gathered by this process is limited by the number and qualifications of the people in the network. However, now that the vast resources of the World Wide Web are readily available, the problem becomes "infoglut"—too much information.

How do packaging engineers make sense of and organize all of the information available on the Web? Just as important, how do they ensure that the information is accurate and trustworthy? Packagers need to find a variety of information, such as company profiles, product availability, articles, and current applications of the technology, in order to make decisions. Taking packagers from one source to another, the process can be seen as "connecting the dots."

To help professionals in the packaging industry connect the dots, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), in a joint venture with Cendex Corp., has developed PackSearch, a packaging industry search engine that can be found at http://www.packexpo.com. PackSearch, which can be used by anyone interested in packaging, allows users to locate specific product, technology, and company information.

Newly launched by packexpo.com is the Solutions Navigator, a semantic processor that can find documents on the Web emphasizing a specific concept requested by the packaging engineer. This technology goes beyond simple text searching.The Solutions Navigator is programmed to find a specific problem-solution set so that engineers receive the problem-solving information they need rather than the locations of innumerable references containing a particular string of text. This artificial intelligence offers a great deal of precision in research and helps users evaluate the quality of information received on the site.

Erich Spencer, president packexpo.com

Besides finding connections to specific information, packaging professionals can also connect with each other through the Packaging Industry Discussion Forum. For example, pharmaceutical and medical device packagers searching for desiccant companies might also find a list of discussions associated with desiccants, allowing them to exchange ideas, provide insight into unique experiences, and network with other professionals.

Another point of connection is PMMI's alliance with Michigan State University's (MSU's) School of Packaging. MSU moderates the Packaging Discussion Forums, stimulates new topics of discussion, and ensures the integrity of posted content. Significant subjects of expertise include permeability and migration, shelf life, product-package compatibility, and tamper evidence. These packaging discussions are public forums that facilitate an exchange of ideas between colleagues who can ask questions and receive feedback.

Connecting the dots, whether between product claims and actual industry application or between a novice and an experienced packager, leads to informed decisions. Perhaps the greatest benefit offered by an industry-specific search engine is that it extends each individual packaging engineer's network of contacts—which makes the industry stronger as a whole.

For further information, contact packexpo.com at 3141 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, VA 22042; phone 703/205-0923; fax 703/205-6409; e-mail info@packexpo.com; Web site http://www.packexpo.com.