March 2025 News Letter

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a vital role in keeping workers safe across many industries. From healthcare and construction to agriculture and manufacturing, PPE is used to reduce exposure to hazards that can cause injury or illness.

The European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) 2017/745 significantly reshaped the regulatory landscape for medical devices in Europe. One area that continues to cause confusion for manufacturers, distributors, and assemblers alike is the regulation of system and procedure packs. These are specific types of medical device groupings that, while not always requiring full CE marking as a new device, are still tightly regulated under Article 22 of the MDR.

If you’re entering the medical device market or managing regulatory compliance for the first time, one term you’ll hear frequently is UDI – Unique Device Identification. This system is critical to global regulatory frameworks and is rapidly becoming a non-negotiable requirement for manufacturers worldwide.

In this comprehensive beginner’s guide, we’ll explain what UDI is, why it exists, how it works, what the regulatory requirements are in major markets, and how to implement it effectively within your organisation. We’ve also included answers to some frequently asked questions to help clarify common uncertainties.