If you're sourcing packaging for medical devices or pharmaceuticals, you've probably run into a few questions about Bemis. The name comes up a lot. But between the Amcor acquisition, the separate Bemis Manufacturing Company (yes, the toilet seat people), and a lot of outdated information online... it gets confusing fast.
I review packaging specs for a mid-sized medical device manufacturer. We use Bemis materials across multiple product lines. Here's what I actually get asked—and what I wish more buyers asked first.
1. Is Bemis the same company as the one that makes toilet seats?
No. This is the most common mix-up.
There are two separate companies: Bemis Company, Inc. (the flexible packaging and healthcare packaging company) and Bemis Manufacturing Company (toilet seats, sharps containers, medical waste disposal). They split decades ago. Bemis Company was acquired by Amcor in 2019 for $6.8 billion. Bemis Manufacturing is still independent.
The healthcare packaging products you're looking at—barrier films, pouches, lidstock—are now part of Amcor. So if you're searching for "Bemis healthcare packaging" today, you're looking at Amcor's portfolio.
Quick reference: The stock ticker BMS (Bemis Company) was delisted after the Amcor acquisition. Amcor trades as AMCR on the NYSE.
2. What happened to Bemis after the Amcor acquisition?
The short version: Amcor bought Bemis Company in June 2019. The combined company operates under the Amcor name. The Bemis brand still appears on some product lines, especially in healthcare packaging, where the brand carries serious weight in the medical device space.
What changed from a buyer's perspective?
- More resources. Amcor's global network means better raw material sourcing and more production sites.
- Broader portfolio. Combined, they offer more substrate options and barrier technologies.
- Potentially longer lead times. Integration took a while. Some customers I've talked to saw delays in 2020-2021 during the merger consolidation. It's stabilized since.
Honestly? For most specifiers, nothing changed day-to-day. Same product codes, same technical support contacts (mostly). The R&D pipeline got stronger.
3. What's the real difference between Bemis and Amcor healthcare packaging?
The question everyone asks: "Which is better?"
The better question: "What specific packaging structure do I need?"
Because Bemis and Amcor aren't competing products—they're the same company now. But the legacy Bemis products (like their peelable lidstock for sterile barrier systems) have decades of validation data behind them. Amcor's own lines (like Amcor AluFix) have their own history.
Here's what I see in actual supplier audits:
- Bemis-branded products still have their original manufacturing specs and QC protocols.
- Amcor is slowly standardizing testing procedures across sites—but it's not complete yet.
- If you're validating a new device, you can choose either. If you're requalifying an existing device with legacy Bemis materials, stick with the original product code unless you have time for revalidation.
Side note: Most buyers focus on material cost and miss the revalidation cost if you switch suppliers. A $0.02/ft savings on film can mean $15K-40K in revalidation work. Do the math.
4. What quality checks matter most for Bemis healthcare packaging?
I've rejected batches that looked fine to the untrained eye. Here's what I check:
Seal strength consistency
The spec says minimum 2.5 N/15mm. I've seen batches where half the samples hit 3.0 and the other half hit 1.8. Average passes. Distribution fails. That's a reject.
Pinhole rates
For sterile barrier packaging, we spec zero pinholes per lot sample. Period. One pinhole in a 200-piece sample means the whole lot gets quarantined. Bemis' historical defect rate is low (<0.1% in our audits), but I've seen outliers.
Delamination resistance
In our Q1 2024 audit, we tested 50 samples from a new Bemis production site for heat seal delamination after sterilization. Two showed edge separation at 80% of spec. Not catastrophic—but we flagged the batch for retesting. The supplier redid the run at their cost.
Industry standard tolerance on heat seal strength is ±15% from nominal. I hold my suppliers to ±10% on critical products. Most Bemis/Amcor lines can hit that.
5. How do I know if a Bemis packaging film is right for my device?
You need to answer three things:
- Sterilization method. Ethylene oxide (EtO), gamma, steam, radiation? Each affects material properties differently. Bemis has validated film structures for all four.
- Barrier requirements. Moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR), oxygen transmission rate (OTR), light protection. Ask for their technical data sheets—they publish them.
- Machinery compatibility. Bemis films run on most vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) and horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) machines. But I've seen sealing issues on older machines with worn rollers. Always run a trial before committing to volume.
The question most people miss: What's your shelf life requirement? A film that's fine for 12 months may fail at 24 months if the barrier properties degrade. Accelerated aging tests help, but I've seen products pass accelerated and fail real-time. It matters.
6. Does Bemis still make custom structures, or is it all standard now?
Good news: yes, they still do custom work. Even under Amcor, the legacy Bemis development teams (especially out of their Neenah, WI and Menomonie, WI sites) take on custom structures.
We worked with them in 2023 to develop a custom lidstock for a combination drug-device product. Turnaround from initial spec to first production run was about 14 weeks—faster than I expected. Their development engineers actually pushed back on our initial spec (too aggressive on the peel force) and recommended a validated alternative, saving us from a costly trial-and-error cycle.
What I appreciate: they don't just say "yes" to everything. They'll tell you if your spec is impractical. That's rare in packaging suppliers.
The downside? Minimum order quantities for custom structures are typically higher than standard catalog products. Expect 50,000-100,000 units minimum for a custom film. If you need less, ask about their standard lines with similar properties.
7. What's the one thing buyers should know that nobody tells them?
Here it is: Your packaging spec is only as good as your incoming inspection protocol.
I've seen companies specify Bemis materials down to the micron on film thickness, then never measure it when the shipment arrives. They rely on the supplier's cert of conformance. That's fine—until it isn't.
In 2022, we received a batch of Bemis lidstock where the release coating was slightly off. Looked perfect. Sealed fine on our lab equipment. But on the production line (which runs 18 hours/day), the seal consistency dropped. The line operator adjusted temperature and pressure to compensate—and actually got acceptable seals. But the batch data showed a 7% higher reject rate than normal.
We caught it because we measure seal strength on every production run. The supplier didn't catch it because their QC sampled at the beginning and end of the roll—and missed the middle section where the coating application drifted.
Moral: Audit what you receive, not just what they ship. It doesn't matter if the brand is Bemis, Amcor, or anyone else. Incoming inspection is your last line of defense.
And honestly? That's why I sleep better buying from established suppliers like Bemis/Amcor. Their quality systems are more mature than smaller competitors. But I still check. Every time.
