Orthonx is a global medical device company that mainly develops products for the spine and orthopedic surgery fields. When developing the FORZA spinal medical device, Orthonx wanted to avoid designing separate packaging for each of the approximately 700 different sizes of spinal instruments. 
    Orthofix is a global medical device company that mainly develops products for the spine and orthopedic surgery fields. When developing the FORZATM spinal medical device, Orthofix wanted to avoid designing separate packaging for each of the approximately 700 different sizes of spinal devices. To minimize packaging components, the company, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, collaborated with its supplier Placon and Placon's medical packaging division, Barger. Dewey Waites, the sterilization and packaging engineer at Orthofix Spinal Implants, was involved in the FORZA development project. Waites said, "FORZA is the trade name for a spinal implant we use in surgery and is packaged at our Lewisville factory. Orthofix packages four main spinal implant product lines made of PEEK; PEEK is a polyetheretherketone thermoplastic material that is molded between two titanium plates used for cervical interbody fusion.
   Waites said, "Among these four product lines, there are approximately 700 different sizes and configurations of SKUs. I think the difference in our packaging from other companies is that our universal packaging can accommodate all spinal implants. This is key."
    Trays, lids, and securing devices 
  The FORZA packaging project was jointly developed by Orthofix and Barger and consists of four thermoformed PETG trays: one inner tray, two inner peripheral fixation trays of different specifications, and one outer tray. The inner tray holds the fixation device, which secures the implant. Both the inner and outer trays are sealed with DuPont M1073 Byvek* sealing material. There are two specifications of PETG fixation devices placed in the inner tray of the double-sterile barrier tray system. One is designed to hold "medium and small" spinal implants, while the second fixation device is for "large" implants.

    Mike Nielsen, National Sales Manager of Barger, said: "Barger considered the 'worst-case' dimensions, or the smallest and largest implant sizes, while ultimately designing for the largest body size of spinal components. To develop a user-friendly and economical packaging, two different-sized fixation devices were developed, which can accommodate all small, medium, and large implants. By making the medium and small fixation devices dual-purpose, Barger reduced the number of required components. Since small and medium-sized implants use the same thermoformed product, three fixation devices were consolidated into two. This led to a reduction in mold costs and a decrease in the number of packaging SKUs that Orthofix needs to inventory and manage.