Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published April 1998
OUR VIEW
Study Identifies Influences on Packaging in the 21st Century
Fast, flexible lines, an aging population, and plastics will shape the pharmaceutical packaging industry in the coming years.
Chuck Yuska, president, Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute
Increased system speed and automation as well as the growing use of integrated, multifunction packaging equipment will reshape pharmaceutical packaging in the 21st century, according to a recent study by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI).
The study is based on input from 433 packaging professionals representing both vendors and end-users in a wide spectrum of industries. Pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the study say the trend that will have the greatest impact on their operations is consolidation/globalization of the marketplace.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers also identified trends toward more plastics in packaging and the aging of world populations as key factors affecting packaging in the new century.
Increased speed and automation translate into higher rates of productivity and potentially higher rates of return on capital investments. The problem facing pharmaceutical manufacturers who wish to push their line speeds and increase productivity is compounded by governmental requirements to demonstrate that they can continuously keep their packaging processes under control while validating those processes. To meet these challenges, manufacturers will require quicker, smarter, and more flexible machinery systems, new materials and containers, and better-trained packaging-line operators.
To manage highly productive and profitable packaging lines in the 21st century, pharmaceutical packagers are demanding quick-changeover parts; faster, more-flexible machines to run wider varieties of products and materials in shorter runs; systems that acquire and assess product and process information in real time; accurate, high-speed labeling systems; and sophis- ticated inspection and detection systems to verify product integrity.
It's no wonder that when pharmaceutical manufacturers look for proven solutions, they increasingly turn to their machinery and packaging suppliers. With corporate restructuring and management's desire to focus more of their companies' resources on core competencies, pharmaceutical packaging departments are turning to outside sources for help in solving their packaging-related problems. Suppliers who are able to apply a total systems approach to these problems are becoming the preferred vendors for many pharmaceutical companies.
PMMI has several resources to help make a packaging professional's job easier. The organization has released the 1998—1999 Packaging Machinery Directory. The directory, which is available on CD-ROM, lists more than 400 of the world's leading manufacturers of packaging and packaging-related machinery.
PMMI also has two Web sites that make gathering packaging machinery supplier information easier. Its new PackNet (http://www.packnet.com) site is searchable by company or machinery type and provides direct links to equipment manufacturers with their own Web sites. At PMMI's show site (http://www.packexpo.com), visitors can find technology descriptions and contact information on hundreds of pharmaceutical packaging suppliers who exhibit at PMMI's shows
The next Pack Expo will be held at Chicago's McCormick Place this November 8—12.
Chuck Yuska is president of PMMI, a trade organization committed to improving and promoting its members' ability to meet the needs of packaging machinery users worldwide and to cooperating with various segments of the packaging industry. For more information, contact PMMI at 703/243-8555.
