# 323 - Nerding Out on Medical Packaging & Ditching PVC with Keith Smith of Vonco

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2025-09-08
- Length: 35m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging

## Summary

Keith E. Smith, President of Vonco Products, explains how his company is helping medical device manufacturers transition away from PVC by using proprietary technology to weld polypropylene on existing radio frequency (RF) equipment. He details the regulatory and supply chain challenges of replacing PVC in blood and IV bags, noting that material changes affect shelf life and require extensive validation. Smith also discusses how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws and tariffs on materials like foil are driving innovation toward more sustainable, single-stream plastic solutions and refill pouches for consumer goods.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=2) Introduction: Keith E. Smith and Vonco's Background
- [3:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=193) Vonco's Business Split: Medical Devices vs. Consumer Packaging
- [9:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=571) Consumer Refill Pouches and Concentrate Models
- [15:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=919) Medical Device Packaging and Sterilization Requirements
- [18:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=1132) The PVC Problem and Regulatory Pressure
- [23:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=1434) Proprietary RF Welding Technology for Polypropylene
- [30:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco#t=1835) Tariffs, Foil Alternatives, and Supply Chain Resilience

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Vonco (company)
- PVC (material)
- polypropylene (material)
- radio frequency (tool)
- Specright (tool)
- Triac (tool)
- Method (company)
- Josie Moran (company)
- Sunday Fertilizer (company)
- BD (company)
- Johnson & Johnson (company)
- Becton Dickinson (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S5E9 Jon Montcrief | Medical Device Engineering Leaders 8](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-01-s5e9-jon-montcrief-medical-device-engineering-leaders-8) (Being an Engineer)
- [151 - Primary Packaging/Container Closure Change Guidance, Post-Approval Changes, Sponsor/Supplier Relationships, Purchasing Controls and Tubular vs. Molded Glass with Fran Degrazio](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2024-08-28-151-primary-packaging-container-closure-change-guidance-post-approval-changes-sp) (Let's Combinate)
- [#453: Sustainable Material Selection in MedTech with Lucas Pianegonda](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2026-03-30-453-sustainable-material-selection-in-medtech-with-lucas-pianegonda) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [S6E51 Eric Richins | What It's Like Being A Packaging Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-12-19-s6e51-eric-richins-what-its-like-being-a-packaging-engineer) (Being an Engineer)
- [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)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-09-08-323-nerding-out-on-medical-packaging-ditching-pvc-with-keith-smith-of-vonco. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.