Gerresheimer gets pat on the back for packaging concept

The company has developed a container cap which includes the incorporation of a moisture absorbent desiccant canister, and has been described as a "pioneering innovation"​. This is the second German Packaging Award the company has won. Last year, its Rigid Needle Shield, which provides protection for the needle and protection against needle-stick injuries, won the award and then went on to win the WorldStar award of the World Packaging Organisation. "For my whole team and for myself this honour is a source of real pleasure right now, but also an incentive in our work on further innovations,"​ Gerresheimer plastic packaging division head Niels Duering said in a statement. The company has designed two caps under the Duma trademark which use the concept - a twist and turn cap and a snap off cap. Traditionally, the desiccant elements, such as silica gel which absorbs moisture from within the pill container, were manufactured separately and incorporated later during packaging. The Duma cap has the desiccant element and the cap moulded together in one process and from one supplier, making it easier for manufacturers to get the product registered. "Our principle is to offer the pharma industry everything from a single source as far as possible. This ingenious innovation once again demonstrates how important that is. It optimises a whole product category and simplifies procedures right through to the registration process,"​ Gerresheimer corporate public relations and marketing director Burkhard Lingenberg said in a statement. According to Gerresheimer, the company is the first to produce the two-in-one caps in a one-step process. Besides the ease of the new product, the company claimed it was also more cost efficient than traditional means. The caps are manufactured at Gerresheimer's production facilities in Vaerloese, Denmark. The Duma concept was crowned the winner due to new safety dimensions achieved, economy, shortening of registration procedures and quality of design. The German Packaging Award, for which applications are invited internationally, is considered the 'Oscar' for the industry. Gerresheimer now aims to win the WorldStar award for the product.