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Packaging group has Medtronic's back: the medical device giant's spinal and biologics division has a group that brings special focus to packaging challenges.

Article Excerpt
If you have a back problem, it's Medtronic's job to fortify your spine.

And it's the job of Medtronic's packaging group to fortify product development and manufacturing.

Medtronic Inc., the third-ranked medical-device company on Food & Drug Packaging's Top Packagers list, has a Spinal and Biologics division that's devoted mostly to producing screws, plates, connectors and other components for spinal surgery and implants. (The division is currently best known as Sofamor Danek, after its founding companies, but that name is being phased out in favor of Spinal and Biologics.)

The division produces everything from single screws to instruments to surgical kits, including some cutting-edge treatments like recombinant protein applications for bone regeneration. Its plant in Warsaw, Ind., churns out up to 20,000 pieces a day (see "Plant is the backbone of spinal implant business" on page 46).

Medtronic claims to be the global leader in spinal implants. The Spinal and Biologics division has 1,500 employees at its headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., and 2,500 worldwide. In 2000, about a year after acquiring Sofamor Danek, Medtronic established the division's packaging group.

"The company was growing at such a pace that marketing and product development couldn't handle the packaging themselves like they did when there were fewer product options," says Robin Turner, senior manager for packaging development. "They were basically sending out product to an outside source and saying, 'Hey, I need a carton. I need a package...

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