The packaging industry is more than just boxes and wrappers—it’s a crucial component of healthcare, ensuring medications reach patients safely and effectively. But imagine if packaging could do more than just hold pills. Imagine if it could actively monitor medications, support patient adherence, and even contribute to better healthcare experiences. Bringing this imagination to reality with the innovative approaches is Neutroplast.
At Neutroplast, traditional packaging norms are not merely satisfactory. Instead, they’re pioneers in bio-packaging, integrating cutting-edge technology and sustainability practices to create packaging solutions that go beyond the ordinary. Making this groundbreaking work possible is Manuela Redol, an experienced Administrator and Co-owner with a passion for revolutionizing the industry.
For over thirty years, Neutroplast has been a driving force in pharmaceutical packaging, collaborating with industry leaders and research centers to push the boundaries of what packaging can achieve. But what truly sets them apart is their constant commitment to understanding and meeting the diverse needs of their clients, fostering lasting relationships built on transparency and quality.
With a presence in over 30 countries, Neutroplast navigates the complexities of global operations with ease, all while staying true to their core values of sustainability and innovation. As the healthcare industry continues to grow, Neutroplast remains as the lead, shaping the future of medical packaging and improving patient outcomes every step of the way.
So, let’s understand in detail Neutroplast’s groundbreaking innovations and industry insights in our exclusive interview ahead!
Can you provide a brief overview of your professional journey in the medical packaging industry and how it led you to your current role within your company?
Manuela Redol, administrator and co-owner of the company, has been involved in the packaging industry for the healthcare sector for several decades and has vast knowledge of the market and all the factors that surround it. It is natural for her to assume leadership of the company and try to guide it towards an even more promising future.
Please share some key highlights about your company’s establishment, its mission and vision, and how it has evolved to become one of the leading medical packaging solution providers.
Neutroplast is a company that produces plastic packaging whose main focus is supplying the Pharmaceutical Industry. Present on the market for over thirty years, it is a prominent player in the Pharmaceutical Packaging Industry panorama and has, over time, followed a constant search for developing a vital sector for society, in partnership with pharmaceutical laboratories, universities, centres of research, industry associations and other stakeholders.
How does your company maintain a customer-centric approach to meet the diverse needs of clients in the healthcare industry?
Neutroplast is in constant interaction with its customers to understand their current and future needs. It seeks to adapt its products to meet the specific needs of each of them, thus working to maintain long-lasting commercial relationships. Guiding its communication in a transparent and effective way, keeping customers properly informed about topics related to their products. Quality is a priority, ensuring that regulatory standards and healthcare industry best practices are met.
How does your company ensure a strong international presence, and what challenges and opportunities does this global reach bring to your operations?
Located in Portugal, a country with a small domestic market, Neutroplast early on sought to identify market opportunities in different regions and countries around the world to expand its operations. Cultural adaptation, respecting and recognizing cultural differences in different countries, as well as marketing and communication strategy were fundamental to the success of internationalization. On the other hand, strategic partnerships were also created in some of the markets to take advantage of the knowledge and contact network of these partners, also contributing to the mitigation of cultural barriers. Throughout its history, Neutroplast has exported to more than 30 countries, located on different continents.
How does your company integrate sustainability into its medical packaging solutions, and what initiatives are in place to contribute to environmental responsibility?
Using raw materials derived from oil, Neutroplast has been working tirelessly to optimize its production process, to ensure an irrelevant waste of materials, having reached waste levels below 0.2% in 2023, and even these materials are sent to recycling companies for subsequent incorporation into other products that are less demanding in terms of quality. All packaging produced is susceptible to recycling and thus has a prolonged life cycle. Our company has carried out tests with bioplastic, recycled and biodegradable materials, thus being prepared for their use when our customers request it. The company is certified to the ISO 14001 standard and has implemented several measures aimed to reduce energy consumption from non-renewable sources, including the implementation of 600 solar panels for the production of photovoltaic energy.
How does your company prioritize quality assurance and compliance with industry regulations?
Neutroplast has implemented several Quality Management Systems (QMS) standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 15378 – Good Manufacturing Practices for primary packaging and ISO 13485, specifically for medical devices. In addition, it is also authorized to produce medical measuring devices with CE Marking and also has a line of products with FDA authorization.
All of our products are manufactured taking into account the quality requirements required by the aforementioned standards, which include various conformity tests. To maintain the certificates of the various standards and continuous improvement, the company is annually subject to several monitoring audits by external entities duly accredited for that purpose.
Are there specific projects or case studies that stand out as milestones for your company in the realm of medical packaging solutions?
Neutroplast has repeatedly participated in several national and international innovation projects, with various partners, always in the search for innovative solutions that allow, on the one hand, to make life easier for users of medicine packaging and thus improve adherence to the correct using medical prescriptions and on the other hand making the packaging more environmentally friendly, either by using new materials or by reducing the carbon footprint in their production.
What are the key trends and developments that your company anticipates in the medical packaging industry, and how are you preparing to address them?
One of the trends we foresee is related to the growing importance of sustainability and the need to transform the production process, as well as the materials used, more environmentally friendly, without compromising the safety and quality of the products to be packaged. Another trend is the emergence of intelligent packaging, with the integration of technology to control product conservation and interaction with patients to ensure adherence to medical prescriptions.
How does your company plan to contribute to the broader healthcare ecosystem, beyond providing packaging solutions, to improve overall patient outcomes and experiences?
As mentioned above, some of the projects in which Neutroplast participates aim to facilitate patient’s adherence to correct compliance with medical prescriptions. This facilitation results from the incorporation of new technologies in the packaging, allowing it to communicate with other devices to create alerts for timely intake of medicines and assessing their conservation status.
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