Advancing Healthcare Through Materials Science and Manufacturing Innovation

Wayne, PA, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TekniPlex recently announced the winners of its FY2026 TeknoVation Awards. This year, more than 30 projects were nominated from across TekniPlex's two divisions, from multiple regions and functions. Projects were evaluated based on innovation, problem-solving, business impact, measurable results and scalability. 

As an important part of TekniPlex global innovation system, the TeknoVation Awards encourage teams to combine materials science and manufacturing technologies with market needs, accelerating innovation from technical development to real-world applications.

This year's three winning projects – all from the Healthcare Division, include a multi-process universal PVC compound, recyclable barrier blister packaging, and weldable tubing for biopharmaceutical applications. Together, they demonstrate TekniPlex Healthcare's capabilities in materials, manufacturing processes, sustainability and high-performance healthcare applications.

First Place: Universal PVC Compound Enabling Multi-Process Manufacturing

The first-place project developed a proprietary PVC compounding process that enables one universal PVC compound to perform reliably across multiple processing platforms, including:

Sheet and film extrusionTube extrusion Injection molding

This breakthrough was achieved through a fully integrated development approach encompassing blending, compounding, and pelletization technology to optimize material rheology rather than changing formulation chemistry for a specific process. The result is “One Compound, Multiple Processing Capabilities.”

This innovation can reduce repeated qualification work associated with different material formulations, lower qualification costs and shorten time to market. It can also improve process consistency across manufacturing locations and processing platforms while increasing the utilization of existing equipment and production resources.
The project has entered the commercialization stage and is beginning to support customer manufacturing applications. It demonstrates TekniPlex Healthcare's ability to closely connect materials development and manufacturing innovation with practical customer needs.

Second Place: Recyclable Mid-Barrier Peelable PP Lidding

The second-place project is a patented solution developed for pharmaceutical blister packaging applications requiring moisture and / or oxygen barrier. It combines a peelable polypropylene (PP) lidding with a coextruded PP and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) structure for thermoforming into blisters, allowing for the entire blister package to be recycled where recycling infrastructure exists. All while maintaining the barrier, sealing, opening and product-protection performance required for pharmaceutical applications.

Traditional aluminum-based blister packaging generally uses multi-material laminated structures, which can be difficult to recycle. This project provides a new technical approach that can reduce the use of aluminum-based materials and complex laminated structures while maintaining the practical performance required for pharmaceutical packaging. It is designed to balance sustainability with functionality.

As the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) advances, and as pharmaceutical and healthcare companies place greater emphasis on recyclable packaging, demand is growing for sustainable packaging solutions that offer both proven performance and scalability.

The technology has been patented and is ready for scale-up. Customer qualification and commercialization activities are currently underway.
The project demonstrates TekniPlex Healthcare's ability to integrate materials innovation, packaging technology, regulatory trends and commercialization into a single solution.

Third Place: BioPharm Weldable Tubing

The third-place project developed a next-generation weldable tubing platform for biopharmaceutical applications. Made from a styrenic thermoplastic elastomer, the product combines several critical performance attributes within one tubing system:

High clarity for easier observation of fluid conditionsSuperior pump performance with minimized particulate generation during pumpingLow extractables and leachablesEnhanced weld strength and reliabilityFast, secure and stable sealing

Biopharmaceutical fluid-transfer systems place demanding requirements on material purity, tubing connections, pump life and operational reliability. These attributes are often difficult to achieve simultaneously in a single material.

By combining formulation development, materials technology and precision extrusion, the project created a differentiated tubing platform with a strong overall performance profile.

Supported by TekniPlex Healthcare's global manufacturing footprint and its vertically integrated capabilities from materials development through tubing extrusion, the product can better support quality, batch-to-batch consistency and supply continuity. It also establishes a new technology platform for TekniPlex Healthcare's expansion into biopharmaceutical applications.

Turning Innovation into Scalable Industry Solutions

This year's winning projects reflect several of the healthcare industry's most important innovation priorities: increasing manufacturing flexibility, reducing qualification complexity, advancing recyclable pharmaceuticalpackaging without compromising product protection, and improving the performance and reliability of materials used in biopharmaceutical processing.

Together, these projects show how TekniPlex connects materials science, process development, application expertise and commercialization discipline to solve real customer challenges. From compounding and formulation to packaging structures and precision extrusion, TekniPlex is turning technical innovation into commercially viable solutions that can scale across global healthcare markets.

TekniPlex will continue to focus on listening to customer needs and industry trends while accelerating innovation in materials, products and manufacturing processes. Through these efforts, the company aims to provide more reliable, efficient and sustainable solutions for the global medical device, pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging markets.

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About TekniPlex

TekniPlex is a globally integrated materials science leader headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania. With nearly 9,000 employees across 58 locations in 12 countries, TekniPlex partners with customers and brand owners to solve complex challenges across healthcare and consumer products markets. The company delivers innovative materials and solutions that help make life healthier, safer, and more sustainable. For more information, visit www.tekniplex.com

Contact Info

Natalia Rivera
natalia.rivera@tekni-plex.com
+1 480-395-3130