Technical and marketing activity highlighted June’s Executive Council meeting of the Flexible Packaging Association’s Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council (SPMC).

Marketing Initiatives

The SPMC Marketing Committee reported on activities on its website. It gets more than 33,000 views per year, with most visitors coming through major search engines. New visitors continue to be the largest percentage of traffic. In the past year, India has the largest increase in international visitors.

A website revamp is underway. It will include full-screen graphics along with a stronger focus and more detail on member companies. Improvements will include changes to FAQ interfaces and optimization for viewing on tablets and mobile devices.

Technical Efforts

On the SPMC technical side, Henk Blom, Rollprint Packaging Products, Inc., Chair of the Technical Committee, emphasized the importance of member participation in the ASTM’s Flexible Barrier Packaging Committee (F02). As an example of key work coming out of the ASTM group, Blom cited efforts on F3039, a standard initially focused on dye penetration of seals of non-porous packaging. Last year, he noted, the tests scope was expanded to include using dye to test for pinholes in sheets on non-porous materials.

Among other key tests in the process of being revised is the test method for heat sealability, F2029.

The Technical Committee also reinforced its educational function by holding a webinar titled, “Package Design Missteps: A Study of Common Medical Device Packaging Pitfalls.” It was held through the facilities of PMP News. The committee is exploring potential topics for a future webinar.

For More Info

Go to the SPMC’s website at www.sterilizationpackaging.org.