Packaging News 2003 (pdf) - Wipak

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Advanced medical packaging– a vital part of modern healthcareWipak´s corporate strategy isfully focused on our customers.The following 5 key elementsoutline our strategic directions.FOCUSWe focus our efforts on gaining and maintaininga leading position in clearly definedsegments. By consolidating our resourceswe intend to cater to your needs evenbetter than we have before.GROWTHContinual growth secures our strong positionin the market for flexible and semirigidfilms, and we want to use this strengthto build up a solid foundation upon whichour customers can develop real competitiveadvantages.INNOVATIONAs our customers expect us to provideinnovations in the form of new products,and we will do everything to satisfy theseexpectations. But we also regard innovationsto include progressive kinds of collaborationin areas such as technical andcommercial consulting.SERVICEProviding services related to our productsenhances their usefulness. The serviceswe provide can be considered comprehensiveas long as they meet or exceedthe requests and requirements of our customers.This can include services withina broader scope than just production itself,for instance assistance with graphic designing.GLOBAL APPROACHWipak and Winpak operate globally. Butacting and thinking globally includessupplying our nationally and internationallybased customers both locally andworldwide; and it means monitoring thevarious markets in which our customersare active; viewing both film and packagingrequirements holistically; exploitingsynergies for the benefit of our customers.As you see, we have clearly focused ourstrategy on our customers. We would beonly too pleased to discuss with you howWipak can contribute even more towardsyour company´s success - taking our strategicapproach a step further for evencloser co-operation.Harri PursiainenManaging DirectorWipak GroupWe are committedto customers´ benefitA frequent and critical look at our businessenvironment is worthwhile, inorder to pilot the company successfullyin an ever changing environment.I wish to share some thoughts andconsiderations from Wipak Medical´sstrategic analysis with you.Healthcare looksfor cost effectivenessThe growing use of healthcare consumablescontributes to constant cost reductions.The globalisation process, especiallyin Europe, will force economies to takemeasures in order to be competitive inthe intensifying international scenario.Governments will have to assign morepublic funds to the development of othersectors of society rather than healthcarewhile urging for national competitiveness.While hospitals have to run their operationsand cannot dramatically reduce theuse of disposable medical materials, thepressure to acquire them at lower costsis evident.A smaller global worldThe globalisation process is rapidly changingthe way we work with our customers.As many of our clientele run their operationspractically on all continents, we -as a materials supplier - have to be ableto satisfy needs globally. This requiressizeable production and service resourcesin different geographical areas. The managingof this international logistics chainrequires flexibility and wide experiencein business solutions.Good ethics in businessbecome valuableGlobalisation has generated so-calledglobal tenders. These tenders attract theparticipation of materials suppliers whilstsizeable volumes are in bid. The aggressivecharacter of some of these deals raiseconcern. We hope that tenders will continueto be awarded in line with goodbusiness ethics.Reinforced need forquality operationsHealthcare sector is forcing the medicalindustry to look for improved efficienciesand savings, and to lower costs whereverit is possible. Simultaneously, quality requirementsbecome more evident. Requirementsfor product standards and qualitysystems will force suppliers to invest inmaintaining the quality of their products,processes and services.Flexible and reliable servicesas a competitive edgeHealthcare sector and medical industrywere earlier characterized as a businesswith good prices and high margins. Thisencouraged some suppliers to expandtheir activities into medical applications.Most of these latecomers have been disappointed.Good prices and high marginsare history. Customers in healthcare institutionsand the medical device industryrequire flexible, precise and reliable ser-vices. This involves more costs than manycompanies anticipate in advance.Standards regulatedevelopmentThe healthcare business requires a deepunderstanding of the related regulatoryissues. Proper knowledge contributes tosuccessful business partnerships. As aspecialized medical supplier, Wipak activelyparticipates in the development ofthe medical regulatory framework.Commitment to successWhich medical companies will survive?A successful company needs to be bigenough in terms of volume, it must possessgood business expertise, run appropriatequality systems throughout all its functions,manage operations globally, provide acomprehensive range of medical packagingmaterials to large international companies,and last but not least, it needs tobe profitable and committed to the medicalbusiness. Commitment means acompany´s ability and readiness to developits activities.Corporate resources meetglobal customers needsThe global Wihuri Packaging Divisionoffers the perfect environment to developour medical business. The Wipak-Winpakgroup of companies is a strong and profitablepartner with highly diversified andspecialized film-making capacities. Thenumerous world-wide manufacturingplants, coupled with an extensive networkof sales offices and partners provide anideal basis to develop our internationalactivities.Wipak offers a wide range and selectionof medical packaging products for theneeds of healthcare institutions and themedical devices industry. As a manufacturerwith large-scale volume, Wipak isable to achieve production cost efficienciesfor the benefit of its customers.An optimistic lookto the futureWe see excellent opportunities to developand maintain profitable business throughcontinued growth in existing and newmarket areas. We will continue to developproduct functions and features and theefficiency of the entire material flow andmanufacturing process. We have the bestpeople together with an extensive specialistpool of film-making machinery, equippedwith the newest process and technologicalinnovations.We are committed to develop our organizationand its structure to serve our medicalcustomers in an efficient and productiveway. We are excited by futurechallenges!Heikki WeijoManaging DirectorWipak Medical2
The centre of excellencefor thermoforming filmsWipak maintains its global position asthe leading manufacturer of flexiblethermoforming films. The work thatstarted in the early 1970s has continuedfor 30 years with increasingspeed of investments, R&D efforts andproduction development.In order to meet customer demands forhigher quality, better economy, new productsand improved machine productivity,challenges to the packaging materialsgrow steadily.Market expectations are transformed bythe marketing and sales organisation intheir strategic business plans into operationaltargets.Wipak-Winpak Success Factors• World-wide network of production units and skilled personnel• Co-operation with our excellent group of raw material and machine suppliers• Joint development projects with polymer research centresand universities• In-house pilot lines for film making and packaging machinesThe production and R&D people workclosely together to plan machine investmentsand to adapt the newest technologyto meet set targets. Today, our two coextrusionlines in North America representthe most modern technology with their13 extruders and 11-layer combinations.Productivity, process control and errorfree qualities are set targets for all productionoperators. Some of our most skilledand devoted personnel have worked withus for more than 25 years. Film makingskills are transferred from one generationto the next.Multiplant capacities are available throughour many production facilities in Europeand North America. Risk managementcalls for increasing attention from us andour customers.Our success in meeting customer demands and new challengesis based on many positive factors, such as:• A wide range of different production technologies including cast and blowncoextrusions, coating and lamination• High-volume production with one of the largest capacities in the marketAn “Iron Team” with a golden touch– continuously looking for the latest in production technologyAll our production managers assembleto regular meetings where production andproduction technology matters are discussed,analysed and decided on. Thisgroup has earned itself the nickname “ironteam” which we are rather proud of: itshows our determination to keep theWipak-Winpak Group ahead of the field.Our Iron Team also visits customers, machinesuppliers, exhibitions and othersources of information. The proper wayof approaching the difficult task of choosingthe right technology for the right unitand for the right product has already givenexcellent results.Wihuri was and is increasing investmentsin the packaging division for the advantageof medical business as well. While spendinga lot of our corporate financial resourceswe need to take care that wespend it well.Timo ToivolaTechnical DirectorWipak GroupNew flexo-printing press in NastolaState-of-the-art precision printing technologyand highly efficient peripheral systemsare what is required for top quality print.In 2003 a new eight-colour flexo printingpress came on stream to enhance thealready substantial printing capacity atWipak Nastola.With this new printing machine, Wipakinvested in cutting-edge technology assuringhigh quality as well as short changeoverand proofing times: the latest sleevetechnology for plate cylinders and aniloxrolls with closed inking circuits; automaticin-line wash-up system; automatic set-upsystem which sets the flexo plates andmachine elements at the right startingposition.The new line operates very accuratelyand with freely adjustable repeatlengths.High-performance extrusion linestarted in WalsrodeAt Wipak Walsrode a second highperformancecoextrusion line has recentlycome on stream for the production ofmultilayer film. This blown film linecomprises 9 extruders and enables ninelayerfilms to be produced. With the aidof appropriate feed systems, more than30 different types of resin can be processedinto a high-tech multilayer film. The newline not only increases capacity to meetdemand, but also enables Wipak to exceedcustomer expectations.Wipak Film Academy – Cast Coextrusion ProcessThe technical capabilities of Wipak and Winpak packaging groups include castfilm coextrusion lines with 5, 7 and up to 11 layers. One of the lines is installedin a clean room environment, allowing for the production of pharmaceuticalgrade high performance materials for primary infusion packaging.Cast film extrusion (also called flat filmextrusion or the chill-roll-method), is oneof the classic extrusion processes.It starts with raw materials, a polymerin the form of a granulate. 1.Polymers may be inter-blended ormixed with certain additives to improveprocessability and performance.The granules pass through the extruder,where heat and friction turn theminto liquid melts. 3.The still separate melts are fed togetherinto the feed block. 4.Special plugs determine in what order themelt flows are combined, creating a coextrudedmultilayer film. The use of severaleasy-to-change plugs provides versatilyin terms of the final structure of the film.The melt is directed through a lineardie and meets the chill roll shortly afterleaving the die. 5.Contact with the chill roll leads to coolingand stabilizes the melt into a film, by“freezing” it into a solid state.2.1.2.3.1.2.5.3.Chill roll(I)1.2.3.4.3.Chill roll(II)1.2.3.The film is then fed over severalfurther rolls, across a thickness measuringunit. 6.Finally the film is trimmed to theworking width (by cutting the edges ofthe web) and wound on the motherrolls.1.2.7.6.1.Granulate feed2.Dosage/blending3.Melting transport4.Feed block5.Automatic die6.Control equipment7.Rewinding7.Automatic process controlThickness measurements are input forautomatic process control, which includesextrusion parameters such as the melttemperature, extruder speed, width of thedie gap and output etc.Controlling these parameters guaranteesthe constant high quality of the extrudedfilm.Advantages of the castcoextrusion process• high production speed = high productoutput = economical process• effective film cooling = excellent opticalproperties like transparency and clarity• fine adjustment of mechanical and filmsurface properties by controlling the extrusionparameters and chill roll temperatureAdditional equipment such as a recyclingunit for the edge trimmings makes theprocess even more economical or - as inthe case of a web cleaning unit – improvesproduct safety to meet the tough requirementsof medical packaging.Dr. Claudia MüllerManager, Medical R&DWipak, Nastola3
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Page 5 and 6: Winpak Benchmarking programhelping
Page 7 and 8: [Enduser´s view on sterilisation p

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