Shipping medical devices requires more than just sturdy packaging. Consider protection against damage, return logistics and alignment with your customer's processes to save costs and guarantee reliability. This article shares five practical points to consider that will help you minimise risks and optimise logistics.
Summary of this article
One of the industries where technological development plays a major role is the medical sector. At the same time, those developments make the medical supply chain a lot more complex. There is not only a lot of time and money in product development, but also in the logistics process surrounding it.
What if your company supplies medical devices to a practice, clinic or training site, what do you all need to consider? The medical industry is all about people’s lives and health. So poor packaging management and damage have many consequences besides huge costs.
To make you aware of what is involved in shipping medical devices, I have listed 5 points of interest for you:
DOAs are the number one source of frustration in the medical sector. Having reliable equipment available in the operating room, treatment room or training room is crucial. A physician who is about to treat a patient and discovers that the supplied equipment is defective or damaged is, of course, completely unacceptable.
It is therefore essential to carefully select suitable packaging that provides proper protection for its contents. This helps prevent frustration, reputational damage with your customer and substantial additional costs.
Damage caused by rough handling during transport is not the only factor to consider when selecting packaging. What will the packaging encounter from the moment it is packed in your warehouse until it is used by the customer on site? What are the associated risks?
For example, is the medical device sensitive to light, temperature, dust or moisture? We develop customised packaging solutions that take all relevant factors into account.
Delivering to a hospital or clinic is very different from delivering to a standard business. What does the customer’s internal logistics process look like? Many medical facilities are not properly equipped to receive and handle highly sensitive medical devices. This may become apparent in several ways:
By asking your customer the right questions and gaining a thorough understanding of their logistics processes and end users, you can compile a complete set of requirements. What must the packaging be able to do?
In medical facilities, packaging often needs to be lightweight and easy to handle while remaining robust. Users also benefit greatly from packaging that is easy to open.
To ensure that a medical specialist, such as a surgeon, always has access to the required instruments or devices in the treatment room, medical sets are often supplied with more items than are strictly necessary. A large proportion of these instruments remain unused and are returned after the procedure.
This may sound simple, but return logistics involve a great deal of planning. How do you ensure that your customer packs the products correctly so they can still be used for a future order? Hospitals and clinics are often not equipped to manage this process.
Reusable, customised packaging offers the solution:
Offering a return service can also give you a competitive advantage.
Dedicated transport is often a good choice for highly sensitive and valuable medical devices. It is much safer than transporting them through a distribution hub, where the packaging is repeatedly transferred from one vehicle to another.
Despite the presence of a “fragile” label, packages may still be subjected to considerable rough handling. If you do choose a transport method that involves multiple transfers, a much more robust packaging solution will be required.
In either case, we are happy to help you identify the most suitable packaging solution.
At Faes, we do not see the packaging of a medical device as a standalone product, but as part of the complete usage, transport and return process. That is why we work with engineers and end users to look beyond protection during transport alone. Which components need to be included? How will the contents be used on site? How often will the packaging be transported, how will it be cleaned, and what changes can be expected in the future? Based on this analysis, we develop and manufacture a customised solution in which layout, material selection, ergonomics and logistics are fully aligned.
The long-term value of this approach is demonstrated by a toolkit we developed for a customer in the medical sector. After fifteen years of intensive use, a fleet of 25 toolkits was returned for refurbishment. The basic solution still met the customer’s needs, but the tools, working methods and applicable standards had changed. By carrying out pilot projects together with the customer and its tool supplier, we were able to adapt the design to current practice without having to redevelop the entire concept. As a result, the packaging supports not only safe transport, but also efficient installation, servicing and use on site.
As Account Manager at Faes, I – Carlo Leijten – am your point of contact for packaging in the medical industry. I know what is going on in this area and where opportunities lie in the packaging field, and this often goes beyond the packaging alone. So, are you looking for suitable packaging for a medical device or other medical products? I would be happy to tell you more about the possibilities during an informal meeting.
Fill in what your packaging issue is on the form below or contact us directly.
Carlo Leijten is an account manager at Faes specializing in medical applications and audiovisual equipment. He helps customers in these plastics industries develop customized packaging solutions that meet stringent requirements for protection, cleanability and mobility.
More articles by Carlo LeijtenGood packaging doesn’t just happen by chance. Using a tried-and-tested approach, our specialists guide you step by step from the initial idea to the finished product.
