What a week at BioProcess International!
The show kicked off with a Tech Talk I was really looking forward to: “The Blade That Drives the Cure: How Customized Small-Volume Single-Use Fluid Bags Are Transforming Cell & Gene Therapy Manufacturing.”
After the talk, I felt even more sure that we connected with the right people at just the right moment.
The main idea is actually pretty simple.
Think of your bioreactor or mixer as the razor, and the single-use fluid bag as the blade.
The equipment creates the installed customer base, but the bags are what gets used again and again: with every batch, media change, and transfer. That creates an enormous recurring revenue opportunity for equipment OEMs that are willing to think beyond the initial equipment sale.
“In 2024, the single-use fluid bag market was valued at $3.5 billion, with annual growth expected between 11% and 17%.”
The market is growing fast. My presentation showed that the single-use fluid bag market was about $3.5 billion in 2024, with annual growth expected between 11% and 17%. Demand is rising thanks to cell and gene therapy, biologics manufacturing, CDMO growth, and the move toward single-use systems.
So the question I put to OEMs was:
Who captures that recurring revenue?
If you sell the equipment but someone else provides the consumables, you miss out on a big part of the economic opportunity. Depending on your installed base, recurring bag sales can add up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars each year for an OEM.
That’s where I believe Vonco can make a real difference.
We’re not a catalog supplier. We’re a manufacturing partner.
At Vonco, we have the engineering and manufacturing capabilities to work directly with OEMs to develop bags around their equipment and their specific applications.
That can mean custom bag design and engineering, proprietary fitments and port configurations, white-label or co-branded manufacturing, rapid prototyping and ultimately a recurring supply program.
And we handle all of this, so OEMs don’t have to become bag manufacturers themselves.
Our capabilities include 2D and 3D bioprocessing bags, custom port insertion and fitment, LiquaLoc™ leak-proof technology, same-day prototyping, and expanded manufacturing capacity for bioreactor and cryogenic bags.
Just as important, we have the quality and manufacturing infrastructure needed for these applications. This includes ISO 13485 certification, FDA 21 CFR Part 820 compliance, RF welding and heat sealing, Class 7 cleanroom manufacturing, and gamma sterilization management.
Our real advantage is that we’re on your side.
This may be the most important point I made during the talk.
Many big names in single-use bioprocessing also sell directly to the end market. This can create a conflict when an equipment OEM wants to launch their own branded consumables program.
Vonco doesn’t have that conflict.
“We work behind the scenes, under your brand, to help you build a consumables business around the equipment you already have in the market.”
We manufacture for OEMs exclusively. We don’t compete with them for the end customer. We operate behind the scenes, under their brand, helping them build a consumables business around the equipment they’ve already worked so hard to bring to market.
That alignment matters.
This lets us be flexible with volumes, move fast on prototypes, and work closely with OEMs to get the exact setup they need. Our goal isn’t just to sell another bag—it’s to help our OEM partners succeed.
The conversation after the talk was just as exciting.
I truly enjoyed the conversations that came after my presentation.
People were very interested in how to turn an installed equipment base into a recurring revenue stream, and in the practical steps to make it happen.
That’s what I love about events like BioProcess International. The presentation starts the conversation, but it’s the discussions afterward that really show what people are trying to solve.
And we had plenty to talk about at the Vonco booth as well.
Our exhibits let us show that this isn’t just a strategy we talk about. We have the engineering, manufacturing, quality systems, and production capabilities to make it happen.
From custom setups and fitments to rapid prototyping and production, we’re set up to help OEMs go from concept to a reliable, recurring supply program.
A great way to start a great week.
I left the Tech Talk feeling energized and even more excited about Vonco’s future in bioprocessing.
The opportunity is huge. Single-use manufacturing keeps growing, and consumables are becoming a bigger part of bioprocessing economics.
For OEMs, the real opportunity isn’t just selling the razor.
It’s about owning the blade.
And that’s where Vonco comes in.
We’re ready to help OEMs design, manufacture, qualify, and keep their blades supplied, so they can focus on what they do best: building great equipment and growing their business.
Your equipment is the razor. Let Vonco create your blade.
It was a great week at BioProcess International, and I’m already looking forward to the next conversations
Learn more about Vonco and Keith’s role as President and CEO