# 242 - LIVE from Austin, TX with Casey Nakamura

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2024-02-01
- Length: 27m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey

## Summary

Casey Nakamura, a packaging professional at Johnson & Johnson Vision, discusses building a dedicated packaging engineering group and implementing Specright to centralize specification data for medical device packaging. He explains how moving from fragmented responsibilities to a structured database of 7 engineers improves sustainability reporting and operational efficiency. Nakamura also highlights the industry-wide pain point of manual data tracking and vendor data hoarding, arguing that digital specification management is critical for compliance with regulations like California's EPR bill and for enabling faster innovation.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=1) Introduction: Live from Austin and Casey Nakamura's Background
- [3:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=209) Casey Nakamura's Career: From Cal Poly to Johnson & Johnson Vision
- [5:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=347) Building the Packaging Group at J&J and Defining Roles
- [15:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=900) Implementing Specright and Building a Packaging Component Database
- [19:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=1165) The Problem of Manual Data Tracking and Vendor Data Hoarding
- [22:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-02-01-242-live-from-austin-tx-with-casey-nakamura#t=1370) Sustainability, Compliance, and the Need for Centralized Data

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Johnson & Johnson Vision (company)
- Specright (tool)
- Cal Poly (other)
- IOPP (other)
- Peak Packaging (company)
- Tommy Superfoods (company)
- Spec Summit (other)
- Westpac (other)
- Packaging Peeks (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Adapting to New Manufacturing Technology w/ Matthew Wright](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-04-18-adapting-to-new-manufacturing-technology-w-matthew-wright) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [BONUS - iNEMI VP of Technical & Project Operations Grace O'Malley at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-02-09-bonus-inemi-vp-of-technical-project-operations-grace-omalley-at-apex-2023-emsnow) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [#431: Meet Alex Naber: Insider Insights on Quality Systems, Design Quality, and MedTech's Patient-First Ethos](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2025-11-03-431-meet-alex-naber-insider-insights-on-quality-systems-design-quality-and-medte) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Meet a Guru: Karen Schuyler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2021-03-08-meet-a-guru-karen-schuyler) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [How Design-First Thinking Supercharges Manufacturing Performance with Clarity Design Founder Tom Lupfer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2026-03-11-how-design-first-thinking-supercharges-manufacturing-performance-with-clarity-de) (EMS@C-LEVEL)

## Citing this page

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