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3 Examples of Value-Added Device Packaging

Updating packaging can be viewed as costly and a compliance hurdle. A packaging expert offers examples of worthwhile innovation that enhanced quality and the bottom line.

Though there are many reasons that companies resist packaging innovation, careful analysis can yield significant improvements in materials, cost, sustainability and user experience. 

At HealthPack 2017 in Denver, Jeff Barnell, Program Manager for Packaging Innovation at Medtronic, offered advice on making device packaging enhancements that truly add value, from using end-to-end financial evaluation to soliciting formal stakeholder input.

As Barnell explained, only two groups touch the finished device—the packout technician placing the device in the open sterile barrier and the scrubbed-in doctors and nurses—while a multitude of stakeholders at the factory, distribution center and treatment facility interacts with the package and label. “Consequently, packaging and labeling teams have the broadest opportunity to innovate due to the diversity of stakeholder needs,” he said.

Barnell offered three examples of device packaging innovation where a robust understanding of all the stakeholder uses lead to new design that relied on material and process selection to maximize the benefits to the business, customer, patient and planet.

Catheter dispenser

A coronary catheter dispenser packaging system is used to protect catheter-based stents and balloons. A plastic tube is coiled and held in place with snap-on clips.

Goal: Create a thinner package to improve customer and distribution center storage efficiency while reducing costs. Because some targeted products come in more than 60 different sizes, thinner packaging would have a big impact on shelf space requirements both in the distribution center and in the catheter lab. Decreasing the volume would further benefit shipping cost and sustainability.

The original package design featured:

  • An extruded LLDPE coiled tubing hoop (12 components)

  • An HDPE accessory holder and accessories (4 parts)

  • Sterile barrier pouch

  • Paper labels and other documentation

  • Shelf carton with film end seal

  • Double wall kraft corrugate shipper

  • Palletizing components

“We identified 26 packaging components originally, so we evaluated each of them to see where we could gain the most benefit,” said Barnell.

Updated Design: By redesigning the dispenser to be molded as one piece, many components were eliminated, most notably the protruding clips that held the tubing in a coil. This in turn lead to a 40% thickness reduction and over 80% reduction in sterile barrier component count. The simplicity and integration improved packaging quality, helped reduce risk, consumed 40% less packaging material and achieved an above-goal cost reduction.

Since a shipper containing 50 of the new packages could be smaller than one containing 30 of the previous design, the redesign also led to a reduction in shipments, logistics transactions and paperwork. Barnell noted that dimensional weight is an important consideration: “It’s the most powerful cost savings tool.”

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) delivery system package

In the case of a heart valve replacement, the previous packaging system required the clinician team to rinse the valve using multiple containers that they supply. Once rinsed, the valve needed to be placed into the delivery system, a somewhat tedious process due to the criticality of the step.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast
The exciting new PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 unites all vertical markets in one dynamic hub, generating more innovative answers to packaging challenges for life sciences products. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity for your business!
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LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast