Smart packaging


Smart packaging is one of the latest developments to help optimise the supply chain.


Van der Geer. “This is partly for sustainability; avoiding transport packaging ending up as landfill but also so that we can integrate technology into the system.”


Connectivity is another key aspect of smart packaging. “We are taking advantage of new insulated packaging materials that can reduce weight and increase quality,” says Van der Geer. “Everyone is using USB devices but with the new technologies entering the market, they allow us to be more proactively connected to GPS and cell networks.”


A less obvious element of smart packaging is the people involved. “We need to make sure that we have strategic partnerships and strong collaboration with our partners,” says Van der Geer. Ensuring effective communication throughout the supply chain is integral to optimise the use of these emerging technologies as well as preventing problems from occurring.


The key to connectivity 100 years


MSD has been active in the Netherlands for


almost a century. MSD


18


MSD has worked on a several projects in this area, which have not always been straightforward. “Unicef mentioned that there were difficulties reaching people in need after natural disasters and disease outbreaks, and asked us, as an industry, to help them,” Van der Geer continues. “The biggest challenges are connectivity and ensuring product integrity. We don’t know where our materials are and we lack temperature control. We cannot guarantee that a quality product is delivered because we are shipping in-the-blind most of the time.” To address these difficulties, MSD turned to drones. “We created our own asset management platform, we created our own connected container


and we executed a number of proof-of-concepts,” says Van der Geer. “We flew products to clinics, to an offshore island off the coast of Puerto Rico and recently we executed long-range, fully autonomous and beyond line of sight trials in the Bahamas, including -70°C dry-ice deliveries.”


The drones provided valuable insights about the drugs being shipped. “We could see the products in real time, where they were, what the conditions were, when it was delivered and when the container was opened,” he adds. “You get a lot more visibility in your supply chain. It was a good test ground to try out smart packaging.”


The future is digital


Although such projects are hugely exciting, smart packaging is just one piece of the puzzle at MSD. “The longer-term strategy for us is not only using IoT-connected devices like drones,” says Van der Geer. “We use these as a stepping stone to the future where we are looking to digitise the whole supply chain.”


The vision, rather paradoxically, involves both scaling-up and drilling-down. “There are a lot of monitoring devices that you can buy off the shelf to track shipments but we want to be able to track each individual pallet, each individual parcel, each individual package and insure full product integrity at delivery,” he explains.


This level of precision allows for problems to be addressed efficiently and effectively. “The whole driver for us is to make sure that we can actually release products on a partial level and distinguish between each individual parcel,” says Van der Geer. “If there is a temperature excursion, you may actually be able to save the majority of the shipment because it wasn’t impacted, whereas if you only


Packaging Insight / www.worldpharmaceuticals.net


Connect world/Shutterstock.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24