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Encouraging job outlook in healthcare packaging
Experienced packaging design engineers will be in demand, says search firm executive.
By Paul Sturgeon
The year 2010 will be very different from 2009 in the area of employment. While 2009 will be remembered for the recession and unemployment hovering near double digits, that trend is turning around fast in the healthcare packaging world.
We've had 21 recessions in the U.S. since 1900, including four since 1980, and the employment pattern is fairly predictable. The first couple of quarters, everyone focuses on cost cutting, which could include a hiring freeze and possibly layoffs. Then companies realize two things: First, that it is a reasonable survival plan, but not a sustainable business model. Second, there will be an expansion phase (we've also had 21 of those since 1900), and there is nothing a CEO fears more than not being in position to capture market share during a recovery.
Since the healthcare industry is less sensitive to economic cycles than the overall economy, this employment pattern is accelerated in areas such as pharmaceutical and medical device packaging. Dick Simmons, medical business manager at Sealed Air Medical Applications, foresees adding sales, quality, and technical staff in the coming year. "We see healthy growth across our product lines," says Simmons.
Rod Patch, worldwide packaging manager at J&J's DePuy Orthopaedics, agrees, assuming forecasts that show demand increasing in 2010 prove to be accurate. "2009 was a cautious year for resources," Patch notes. He says that experienced packaging design engineers will continue to be in demand, driven by increasingly customized designs, automated packaging processes, and the wide range of materials now being used in healthcare packaging.
Universities are increasingly taking note of the need for skilled healthcare packaging professionals. Several schools offer programs in Packaging Science and courses in medical packaging, including Michigan State and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
Alison Tyler, technical director at Beacon Converters, is also an adjunct professor at RIT. Her course is centered on industry standards ISO 11607 and TIR22. "I have a lot of fun teaching this course—Medical Products Packaging is a senior-level elective so the students have an interest in learning about medical device packaging and many are heading to a co-op or full-time job at a medical device or pharmaceutical company.
"The students create a medical device—the sky is the limit on complexity and creativity—then use the industry guidelines to establish device attributes, sterilization techniques, distribution and handling, etc., to select materials, design the package, and design the protocols for assessing their choices. Many of the students' final projects have been exceptional," adds Tyler.
Paul Sturgeon, is a CPC and business manager at KLA Industries, a search firm specializing in the plastics and packaging industry for more than 10 years.
Ready to click the OTC growth switch?
With private-label and generic competitors battling for pieces of the economic pie as patents expire on successful drugs, it's no wonder pharmaceutical manufacturers would rather fight—and switch—select prescription-only products to over-the-counter offerings. Such switches could push expiration dates further into the future, and trigger innovation in product packaging as manufacturers address package design, labeling/validation/regulatory requirements, and other issues. KlineBlog recently reported, "The top 10 Rx-to-OTC switch brands during 2008 have grown by 5.8% compared with a growth rate of 2.4% for the overall OTC industry for the same time frame."
Switches to OTC may benefit patients as well, providing options for growing health care and "behind the counter" alternatives to traditional visits to doctor offices, clinics, and hospitals for ongoing treatments.
Package design, labeling requirements, validation, and other issues will challenge packagers making such switches. However, Procter & Gamble's Prilosec move into the OTC market exemplifies how the packaging change can be executed successfully, be sustainable/environmentally friendly, and be sound from an economic perspective. |
