Sector highlights: Tjoapack interview

Dexter Tjoa, director of corporate strategy, Tjoapack, discusses what he has found challenging and highlights the opportunities he has experienced for the year.

1. What has been the biggest opportunity of 2017 for your company/organisation?

We implemented fully aggregated serialisation back in 2008 and this is proving to be a huge advantage in terms of preparing us for newly introduced legislation worldwide. We are ready for the deadlines in both the US and Europe and, as such, we have proven ourselves to be a capable, strategic partner not just through our reliable and flexible packaging capabilities but also when it comes to adapting to new technologies.

2. Which factors have driven the biggest changes to the industry in 2017?

Serialisation is continuing to drive the biggest changes in the contract services sector. We are likely to see more consolidation among companies that are struggling to meet the requirements due to factors such as limited time, resource and money. We can also expect to see sponsors changing their outsourcing strategies and moving from contract partners that are underprepared to those that will help to ensure continuity of supply.

3. What market trends have been influential for 2017?

Clearly, serialisation has been very influential with new services and providers becoming prominent in the sector, and the task of implementing new systems and processes has been an important focus for many companies for most of the year. Additionally, the increased presence of biologics is resulting in new services and considerations as more high value, low volume medication enters the market - this is setting the stage for personalised medicine.

4. What have been the biggest challenges of the year?

Educating and helping our customers to get their products ready for serialisation has been one of the greatest challenges. Preparing for serialisation is a complex process that involves a number of technical, operational and geographical considerations. As an experienced contract packaging organisation (CPO), we see it as our role to guide our customers, ensuring not only compliance with the new regulations, but that they are able to realise the wider benefits and efficiencies that greater supply chain visibility can bring.