Appearex

Mark Stauffer, Senior Director of Operations and Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC talks about his experiences working with the Pharma Packaging Solutions team on the Appearex project.

Describing how complex packaging requirements demand balancing multiple objectives:
“Cost is high on the list and design is, too. PPS is a good fit in terms of a match and size of companies. We like their commitment to quality, and I find that they have integrity. Our company and their company are similar; we’re family held, and we have a lot of the same values. We are well suited for each other.”

Mark needed to make the important decision of which contract packager to select. Choosing to work with a new packager can seem risky:
“We took a little bit of a risk because we invested in a tool and we hadn’t really done any work with them yet. Of course we did our due diligence, did a site visit - we did our homework before we went with them. So at the end of the day, we were pretty confident in our choice.”

In the end, Pharma Packaging Solutions is the packager that works with you.
“Since the sample packages needed redesign from their original, two-tablet card, PPS was able to configure them to offer seven doses in a blister, while maintaining the same blister size of the 28-count package, which meant we were able to use most of the same blister tool set. We collaborated with them on this, so it allowed us to come up with a creative, efficient way to save us a significant amount of money. Plus from a visual consistency and marketing standpoint, it allowed us to present both the sample and the monthly regimen packages with the same visual elements.

“PPS does a blister pack with foil backing and goes into a fairly ornate retail carton. It’s a fifth panel carton that hangs on a peg; it opens like a book.  Letting consumers see the size of the tablets is a key selling point of Appearex, because they are small and easy to swallow. Marrying all of the necessary pieces into one cohesive package was our primary plan for the packaging. For a 28-day dosing regimen, PPS was able to create a header-panel for hanging displays, a window, a fold-out fifth-panel booklet, and a sealed-end, tamper-evident carton.

“Plus that booklet panel let us get more critical information on the box without having to take up more space on the shelf.”

The Creative Design Team at Pharma Packaging Solutions gives your product an attention-getting market presence.
“Their Creative Design Team was able to take our original design from a clinical, medical feel to a more approachable, visually appealing package. They made our signature purple hues pop against a white field, then added compelling elements like a woman’s hand wrapped around the outside of the carton. On the inside, they used that same female hand with the fingers more spread out to point out our ‘ 5 beautiful reasons for taking Appearex once a day.’  The total redesign really made our package stand out when it was displayed.”