.png)
Packaging Debrief
Whitley County and Northeast Indiana:
A Target-Rich Opportunity for the Medical Products Packaging
Rightly called the Orthopedic Capital of the World, the region in North Central and North East Indiana serves as an $8 billion manufacturing and R&D hub for numerous major orthopedic and medical device/medical disposable companies. Ranging from DePuy to Biomet to Zimmer to Medtronic, regional companies here all investigate opportunities regularly to outsource non-core activities including packaging.
In the Spring of 2012, industry leader Iotron Industries opened a $15 million state-of-the-art contract sterilization and bio-burden reduction facility in Whitley County, Indiana, about halfway between orthopedic manufacturing operations in Warsaw, and the medical device and logistics companies in the greater Fort Wayne area. The introduction of a world-class sterilization facility in the region represents a game changer. Nearly 100 life sciences, orthopedic and medical device/disposable companies currently operate in the region, and to one extent or another, they all use packaging services.
Zimmer, a major orthopedic manufacturer in Warsaw, recently began an intense investigation into how to outsource some of its non-core packaging operations. Given the potential of greater tax burdens resulting from Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act's medical device tax, many companies are looking for means to save production and operational costs.
The new presence of Iotron Industries, coupled with the current focus on out-sourcing non-core production activities, creates a unique opportunity for the expansion or re-location of a packaging company who focuses on medical device/medical disposable products.
With easy access to major north-south and east-west Interstates, rail service and an international airport (with bulk shipping capacity), the Whitley County and Northeast Indiana areas is ready-made for supporting required transportation, distribution and logistics operations of a packaging company. Local and regional economic incentives are also available to help create this new concentration to support expansion or relocation plans. Nearby business-friendly universities offer local support for companies desiring to adapt or use new protocols for packaging design and integrity.
Packaging Study Results
 |
• Media Brief (August 9, 2012)- EDC launches initiative to develop medical-related packaging
Links
Micropulse Case Study
Relevant News Releases
• OrthoVation Center announced in Whitley County (June 15, 2010)
• Iotron expands into Northeast Indiana (December 20, 2010)
Partners
• Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership - Medical Devices Target Industry