Case Study

Full-Service Packaging: Supporting the imaging industry leader for complex kit packaging

Guerbet is a pioneer in diagnostic and interventional imaging. Market leader in France, Guerbet has been developing its expertise in the field of contrast products since 1926. Guerbet offers a full range of products, solutions and services for diagnostic imaging and interventional imaging to improve clinical decision-making at every stage of the patient journey, thereby effectively improving patient outcomes.

EXPERIENCE AND AGILITY TO SERVE A STRATEGIC PROJECT

Guerbet was looking for an industrial partner able to optimize the existing pack, handle high-throughput packaging operations and to provide quality products.

THE PRODUCT

The product is a drug in a prefilled syringe. It is packed into a kit which includes all the injection disposables into a kit.

A COMPLETE KIT

The kit is made of:

1 prefilled syringe with 4 different dosages [4 SKUs]
1 leaflet
1 tubing
1 catheter

“Creapharm (now Myonex) implemented an innovative and scalable industrial solution to serve Guerbet with responsiveness.”

Claire Wang,
Procurement Category Manager Packagings & Medical Devices, Guerbet

#SCALABILITY

“This packaging operations was the first project we entrusted to Creapharm (now Myonex). A successful and already perpetuated partnership.”

Mohammed Ouchen
External Supply Manager, Guerbet

“The packaging optimization allowed to optimize both manual and automated operations and consequently rates and costs. Pack size reduction has improved carton & transport costs.”

Romain Planson
Operations Manager, Creapharm Industry (now Myonex)

Designing a packaging to offer a complete kit to health professionals

Creapharm (now Myonex)’s design packaging department supported Guerbet in the conception and development of a new pack to gather not only the product and its leaflet but also two components for administration.

Creapharm (now Myonex) anticipated industrialization challenges to make its customer benefit from better rate manufacturing and therefore minimizing production costs. Pack size optimisation had significant impact on both carton purchase and transport costs.

Progressive industrialization

To start operations as soon as possible, during the first phase, kits were assembled manually. The box closure was done using integrated scotch tapes. Later, when Creapharm (now Myonex) finalized the optimization of the pack design and received then qualified 2 new special machines able to handle oversized products, the process evolved. The semiautomated process includes now:

box opening by an adapted cartoning machine
first closing step ensured by an integrated glue gun
manual insertion of the four medical devices
second closing step by the integrated glue gun, ensuring inviolability
automatic printing of the variable data

In addition to the checkweigher, the process is fully securized to ensure all components have been included in the box.

Quick Facts

1. GUERBET’S CHALLENGES

Complex kit packaging: Aiming to offer a new complete kit to health professionals, to get rid of any worries related to material availability

Full service: Expecting a range of expert services including packaging design/optimization, purchase (packaging items) and packaging operations

Adaptability: Looking for a partner who leaves room for any change in the supply chain

Costing challenge: Looking for reducing cost for patients without compromising on quality

2. OUR APPROACH

Scale-up in mind from the early stages, i.e. packaging design

Experience: Deep knowledge of suppliers’ constraints and solutions

#1Challenge1Solution: Providing Guerbet with tailor-made solutions

Deadline commitment: To meet the market launch objective and then avoid any shortage

Customer relationship based on transparency and trust

3. OUR SOLUTION

A new box designed to meet Guerbet’s customer need and serve size & cost optimization

Agility to both make the industrial process evolve over time and manage the unexpected in the supply chain

Investment: 2 new cartoners, adapted to oversized packs

Cost optimization: through scaleup to semi-automated process and industrial rate optimization

CSR positive impact: By minimizing the packaging size during conception, one truck instead of two is needed to transport one finished product batch