Healthcare Packaging September/October 2020 by PMMIMediaGroup

CONNECTS November 9-13, 2020

PACK EXPO Connects: Bringing the Packaging to You + Technology for Workers’ Social Distancing + Variable Barcodes to Boost COVID-19 Testing + Q&A: New Sustainable Procurement Guide + IoPP’s Packaging Salary Survey Results PMMI Media Group | www.HealthcarePackaging.com

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CONTENTS

↑ pp.24 Previewing PACK EXPO Connects 20 OPERATOR SAFETY

Technology Steps Forward for Social Distancing

As more manufacturers are allowed to resume production amid the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping workers distanced will be key to keeping them healthy. Here are some innovations to help achieve that.

24 EVENT PREVIEW

PACK EXPO Connects Takes the Trade Show to You Live. Virtual. Reimagined. Connect with the packaging industry at the year’s most engaging event, to be held everywhere Internet is available on Nov. 9 to 13, 2020.

36 AUTOMATION

Hitting Essential Filling Speeds for Essential Oils

With expansions in pharmaceutical, medical, and food and beverage applications, the essential oil market is booming. Young Living turned to a Syntegon pharma-grade filler to triple its filling speed and improve yield.

39 PACKAGE DESIGN

Tampons in an Ice Cream Pint Make a Whimsical Statement Feminine care company Rael launches a unique recyclable carton in stores and online.

43 DIAGNOSTICS

Variable Barcodes to Boost COVID-19 Test Kit Experience Scannable point of care tests were designed to increase test accuracy, collect data, and take the guesswork out of reading results.

47 SUSTAINABILITY

Q&A: Non-Profit Launches Sustainable Procurement Guide

11 questions on how an organization is guiding health systems’ purchasing decisions, and what manufacturers need to know.

50 ENERGY SAVINGS

Compressed Air Measurement Helps Reduce Energy Use

Installing Festo’s E2M energy efficiency modules helped medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers tackle their environmental footprint, not only saving money but using the data to provide predictive maintenance as well.

56 IOPP SALARY SURVEY

Packaging Pros Bullish on Security & Salary Despite Uncertainty

Packaging seems insulated from much of the economic fallout of COVID-19, though not everyone is fairing equally. Women, for instance, seem to be entering the industry, and soon should be matriculating into higher salaried positions left by retiring men.

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CONTENTS

↑ pp.50 Saving Money Through Compressed Air Measurement 59 VIRTUAL REALITY

Part 2: Sterile Manufacturing Training Gets Immersive with VR

You’ve heard of OEMs offering augmented reality tools, but virtual reality has come to pharmaceutical processing training. How does improved critical thinking impact a company’s bottom line?

62 PACKAGE INSPECTION

Study: Automatic Inspection for Lyophilized Drug Products in Valor Vials

Companies partnered to test whether the new vial material would present obstacles to proper inspection for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

COLUMNS 07 KEREN SOOKNE’S PERSPECTIVE 14 COLD CHAIN CORNER DEPARTMENTS 08 QUICK HITS 10 NEWS 12 QUOTABLES/BY THE NUMBERS 16 MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS 18 OEM APPLICATION NOTE 95 NEW PRODUCTS

65 CLINICAL TRIALS

CSL Behring Uses Specialty Label System to Blind Vials for Clinical Trials

With visible differences between the candidate and placebo, the blinding system was key. A booklet label features multilingual product information.

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Virtual Trade Show Nov. 9-13 Join NJM during Web-Based Virtual Trade Show at PACK EXPO Connects 2020 This online show, includes live CHAT with our technical/sales experts, real-time demos and live conferences with your FREE REGISTRATION.

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Go to our VTS Show Booth Link to sign up.

Courser® 230 This vial/syringe labeler supports packaging needs for COVID vaccines. This operates with quick changeover from vials-to-syringes and runs up to 200 cpm

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www.healthcarepackaging.com

Editorial DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT Keren Sookne

ksookne@pmmimediagroup.com EDITOR AT LARGE Aaron Hand

Art UX/UI DESIGNER Maggie Wilson ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Jonathan Fleming CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dave Bacho

Publishing PUBLISHER Elizabeth Tierney, 815.861.2992 VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT AND BRAND STRATEGY Jim Chrzan MANAGER, STRATEGY & COMMUNICATIONS Courtney Nichols AD SERVICES/PRODUCTION MANAGER George Shurtleff DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Sue DaMario FINANCIAL SERVICES MANAGER Janet Fabiano

Digital & Custom Media SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL & DATA David Newcorn SENIOR DIRECTOR, DATA & INFRASTRUCTURE Elizabeth Kachoris SENIOR WEB DEVELOPERS Yevgeny Ananin, Andrew Tate DIRECTOR, WEBSITES + DIGITAL DESIGN STRATEGY Jen Krepelka

PMMI Media Group 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60611 p: 312.222.1010 | f: 312.222.1310 www.pmmimediagroup.com PMMI The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies 12930 Worldgate Dr., Suite 200, Herndon VA, 20170 p: 571.612.3200 | f: 703.243.8556 | www.pmmi.com

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE

Remove inserts or samples before recycling. Healthcare Packaging® (ISSN # 21543666) is a registered trademark of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Healthcare Packaging® is published bi-monthly by PMMI with its publishing office, PMMI Media Group, located at 401 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611; 312.222.1010; Fax: 312.222.1310. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2019 by PMMI. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Applications for a free subscription may be made online at www.healthcarepackaging.com/ subscribe. Paid subscription rates per year are $55 in the U.S., $80 Canada and Mexico by surface mail; $130 Europe, $200 in all other areas. Single copy price in U.S. is $20. Free digital edition available to qualified individuals outside the United States. POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Healthcare Packaging®, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-3789. PRINTED IN USA by Quad. Volume 13, Number 4 The opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of PMMI. Comments, questions and letters to the editor are welcome and can be sent to: editors@healthcarepackaging.com. Mailing List: We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable firms. If you would prefer that we don’t include your name, please write us at the Chicago, IL address.

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PERSPECTIVE

Pharma Supply Chain: Not Ready for a Vaccine Just Yet While the desire to move at warp speed may be strong, manufacturers and regulators stay the course for safety. Regardless of headlines in the news touting aggressive fall/winter target dates, vaccines and the accompanying pharmaceutical supply chain are not ready to deliver in mere weeks. There are some truly amazing efforts around manufacturing COVID-19 testing, treatments, and PPE. Plants have switched gears in weeks or months, some scaling from the thousands to millions of parts per week. But as a former engineer at a pharmaceutical plant, I can say that manufacturing changes on this scale for biopharma products tend not to happen so quickly, even in unprecedented times. While packaging suppliers make strides, the U.S. needs work

in domestic production of small parts like vials and stoppers for hundreds of millions of people. Beyond packaging and logistics (what our publication focuses on), an effective vaccine candidate— and thus manufacturing and storage conditions—have not been selected or scaled up. Traceability and temperature control solutions are needed, as well as education for healthcare providers on what is legitimate product. Waste streams will need securing to ensure that used packaging isn’t collected and reused by bad actors, some of whom could be acting from within the industry when opportunity presents itself. Automation will play a critical role in meeting public health needs. With this in mind, our issue brings you several stories about automation, remote services, waste reduction in the plant, and more. KEREN SOOKNE is the Director of Editorial Content of Healthcare Packaging. She may be reached at ksookne@pmmimediagroup or at linkedin.com/in/kerensookne

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QUICK HITS

Trying to Learn a Language? Zapping Your Brain Could Help!

A recent Futurism article reported on a new way to increase your brain’s ability to learn a language. A new study published in Science of Learning showed that stimulating the vagus nerve with specially designed ear pieces improves adults’ ability to recognize foreign language tones—the effect of which lasted even after stimulation ceased. Researchers saw a 13% improvement in distinguishing Mandarin tones compared to a control group that didn’t receive brain stimulation. Such results could motivate individuals, especially adults, to keep learning languages.

NSF Granted $256K to Predict Severity of COVID Infections

COVID-19 affects people differently. Sometimes it ravages the immune system and attacks the lungs, while other cases are asymptomatic and go unnoticed. A recent Newswire press release announced that a Utah-based biotechnology company called Inherent Biosciences received a grant to study epigenetic biomarkers to predict a patient response to COVID-19 infection. The $255,959 grant comes from the National Science Foundation in an effort to develop on-site clinical tests that screen incoming patients and prioritizes hospital resources based on the predicted infection severity.

Magnetic Pinching is the Newest Drug Delivery Method

A recent MedicalXpress article discussed a new drug delivery method that uses temporal pressure to create short term changes in the skin barrier, making it better at receiving medicine. A team of researchers in Singapore published a paper in Science Advances illustrating how using two magnets to pinch and apply pressure to skin creates temporary “micropores” that allow superficially applied drugs to diffuse more easily. In studies on mice, the team found that this allowed drugs to pass through the skin in quantities six times as high as mice that did not receive the temporal pressure treatment.

Recalled Hand Sanitizer List Grows to 100+

Not all hand sanitizers are created equally, and the FDA is doing its part to crack down on products not living up to their claims. A recent USA Today article discussed the latest in warnings: the FDA’s list includes 101 varieties of hand sanitizers that should be avoided, that have been recalled, and that have been recommended for recalls due to the presence of methanol, a potentially fatal ingredient. More information can be found on the FDA’s website.

TIM HAYES, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, HCP

Electronic Skin Now Reacts to Pain

A SciTechDaily article discussed artificial skin prototypes that can sense touch, pain, and heat. Developed by a team of researchers at Melbourne, Australia’s RMIT University, the research published in Advanced Intelligent Systems depicts three patented technologies: stretchable electronics combining oxide materials with biocompatible silicon to deliver transparent, unbreakable, and wearable electronics as thin as a sticker; temperature-reactive coatings for self-modifying coatings 1,000 times thinner than a human hair based on a material that transforms in response to heat; and brain-mimicking memory with electronic memory cells that imitate the way the brain uses long-term memory to recall and retain previous information.

Growing Gold Inside a Tumor Can Kill Cancer Cells?

A New Atlas article discusses fighting cancer with a new method that uses polyethylene glycol as a delivery vector for ionic gold. When it meets the cancer, the acidic microenvironment converts the gold from an ionic form to plasmonic gold particles in as little as 30 minutes. The concept was tested in mice by growing gold nanoparticles inside the tumors, and then heating them with lasers to kill the cancer cells. This method requires a lower concentration of gold than previous methods.

To keep up with the latest news bits from around the world visit healthcarepackaging.com to subscribe and get Quick Hits sent right to your inbox.

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Labeling systems for the pharmaceutical industry

The HERMA 132M HC applies wrap around labels to bottles and vials at speeds up to 400 products per minute. The HERMA 132 M HC is built ready to receive a wide range of print and vision systems and features a label reject system where any labels rejected by the vision system are automatically removed rather than being applied to the product. With over 100 fully validated systems successfully installed in the pharmaceutical industry you can rely on the HERMA 132 M HC to fulfill your requirements.

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NEWS

Healthcare Packaging at PACK EXPO Connects 2020 The week-long virtual event, with educational content produced by PMMI Media Group, takes place Nov. 9-13. It will feature Trend Chats on cannabis (Monday) and pharma and food logistics (Wednesday) including traceability updates and KPIs in supply chain resilience. Thursday’s Daily Download will recap the latest from the virtual show in life science packaging automation. Tune into to Friday’s Jumpstart for trends in pharmaceuticals and medical device packaging. Other key Jumpstart topics include remote services, workforce development, and more. Sessions are available live and on-demand! For the full schedule of interactive demos, trend chats, and more, visit packexpoconnects.com. —Keren Sookne

Trends in Adoption of Remote Access In a just-released report, Trends in Adoption of Remote Access from PMMI Business Intelligence, 29% of CPG respondents said they do not allow any remote access in their facilities. 27% of respondents allow certain OEMs or service providers to maintain a dedicated connection to specific equipment. Emergency situation access to equipment is allowed by 15% of respondents, and links to a computer where outside service providers are given access was cited by 13% of respondents. Only 6% said they use dedicated hardware that allows a cellular connection to specific machines. To download this free report, visit hcpgo.to/382. —Pat Reynolds

Suppliers in the News Aphena Pharma Solutions has announced a $21 million expansion of its Solid Dose Division in Cookeville, TN, with the acquisition of a 500,000-sq ft property for FDA manufacturing and packaging operations. Features include turnkey packaging and distribution services for biologic products, bottling and blistering lines, and cold chain storage capacity. Shemesh Automation will demonstrate the TKS-200, a 200 ppm total solution canister wipes line at its $4M showroom and spares inventory facility to certain participants during the second half of 2021. The announcement comes as a response to increased demand, partially set by the COVID-19 pandemic. —Keren Sookne

Cannabis Policy Vote by Year’s End The U.S. House is expected to vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act before the end of the year, after being delayed in September. The MORE Act would be historic in that it would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, though it would take time for regulations to be developed. It would also allow states to choose how they regulate cannabis, including permitting Veterans Administration (VA)-affiliated physicians to make medical cannabis recommendations to qualifying veterans. A 5% federal retail sales tax would be imposed, with revenue directed to programs that benefit those impacted by previous laws. —Keren Sookne

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QUOTABLES

BY THE NUMBERS

We conducted extensive end user interviews to “ensure PACK EXPO Connects offers exactly what the packaging and processing industry wants from a web-based event: live demos, connecting with technical experts, vetted new products, and interactive virtual exhibits instead of fancy 3D booth renderings.

”

—JOE ANGEL, PRESIDENT, PMMI MEDIA GROUP

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“

In response to ensuing travel restrictions due to the pandemic, FDA is utilizing its authority… to request records in advance of or in lieu of drug inspections, and is also utilizing establishment inspection reports from capable foreign regulatory authorities under the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).

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12 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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COLD CHAIN CORNER

Innovative Therapies Demand Data and Risk Management in Supply Chain AARON HAND, EDITOR AT LARGE TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Cell and gene therapies delivered to patients struggling for their lives must overcome complicated supply chains.

2. Data and analytics throughout the process are essential to maintaining the integrity required.

3. Because the cells are temperature-sensitive, it is key to make sure there are temperature trackers.

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) made from human said. “We need to make sure we deliver the medicine as quickly as genes, cells, and tissues are providing impressive results in patient possible and it needs to be effective for that patient.” treatments. Opening presentations of this year’s annual meeting The ATMP supply chain faces challenges in planning and forecastfrom the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) included an emotional ing; vendors; raw materials; manufacturing, packaging and labeling; talk from Tom Whitehead, the father of a girl who beat leukemia logistics; and storage. Because it’s a patient-driven process, there’s through CAR-T cell therapy. Emily Whitehead, now 15, has been some level of uncertainty in the forecasting process. But targets cancer-free for eight years. need to be set nonetheless, Sprueill said. These scientific breakthroughs also “Schedules must be closely monitored due come with significant changes to traditional to patient changes,” she added. “There need manufacturing processes and drug supply to be plans to communicate changes, adjust chains. Added to a traditional drug supply schedules, and align as necessary. Order and chain model are new levels of complexity as management are integral to the end-to-end the raw materials for these drugs are cells or process.” tissue coming from the patient, as is the case Supplier quality standards are not always with the autologous CAR-T process used in aligned with expectations, Sprueill noted, Emily’s treatment; or a donor, as with an so it’s important to communicate sourcing allogeneic hMSC product process that can requirements and understand vendor capabe used for multiple patients. bilities. “With cells and tissues collected ↑ Monique Sprueill of Johnson & Johnson adTraceability begins when the cells are dressed supply chain management for ATMPs from patients and donors, they become part collected and continues through manufac- at the PDA Annual Meeting. of the raw materials,” she said. “You need to turing, packaging, transport, and adminismake sure agreements with all parties are in tering to the patient. “There’s little room for error because this alignment and use standardized procedures whenever possible.” might be the patient’s last chance for survival,” said Monique SprueOne major challenge is cell variability from patient to patient, ill, senior manager of strategy, insights and innovation at Johnson which can result in lower yields. Sprueill advocated using automa& Johnson. tion in closed-loop processes and also using advanced analytics to Sprueill spoke at the PDA Annual Meeting—held virtually because correlate data with desired outcomes. “An additional challenge is the turnover time is shorter,” Sprueof the COVID-19 pandemic—about data and risk management in the drug supply chain, focusing on the particular complexities of ill said. “It’s very important to make sure people working on the ATMPs. There’s a complex web of interaction that needs to occur process are adequately trained. And make sure the expertise is there in the supply chain. Though that’s true through much of the pharto minimize errors during the process.” maceutical industry, she noted, it’s especially critical in the case The final product is a single batch—one that has to be transof patients being treated with these innovative methods. “We’re ferred at cryogenic temperatures. “If you’re using multiple vendors, working with shorter timelines and patients that are very sick,” she it could cause issues,” Sprueill noted. “Look for opportunities to 14 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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COLD CHAIN CORNER

standardize processes where possible and minimize the number of vendors.” Supply chain management Across the entire supply chain, the use of data and analytics is key. “One thing that has to occur throughout all processes is chain of custody and chain of identity,” Sprueill said. “Who provided the starting material? You need to make sure that same material is administered to the patient.” It’s also important to track where the material has been, how long it took to get from one place to another, and who touched it along the way. “Data and analytics are a way to make sure you keep track of the chain of custody data,” she said, but they also track quality, vendors used, raw materials, where it’s packaged, controls put in place, tracking material, interactions, handoffs, storage, temperature conditions, and more. Because the cells are temperature-sensitive, it is key to make sure there are trackers. “Temperature sensors offer information that can be used if there is a delay in shipment. When you’re not able to maintain conditions, deviations are written and proper investigations are performed,” Sprueill emphasized. “You have to adequately describe the impact of those deviations. There’s little room for error. We make sure we’re as careful as possible, but also have the documentation to demonstrate that appropriate controls are in place and procedures are followed consistently.” Data can be used to monitor outcomes but also to put procedures in place to modify the process if there are issues with the outcome. “Having data that tells a story, is informative, and is able to be communicated at the right time to the right people helps drive key quality deci-

sions,” Sprueill said. A robust supply chain management system ensures that patients receive the products they need. “This is a lifesaving or life-sustaining product and it means the world to someone because that patient

means the world to someone.” For the latest in logistics and temperature control, make plans to visit the virtual PACK EXPO Connects Nov 9-13. For more information visit www.packexpoconnects.com.

QUALITY • SERVICE • VALUE

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MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS

The printing process has been fine-tuned specifically for corrugated materials.

Flexo-Quality Print on Recycled Board Spruces Up CBD Shipper ANNE MARIE MOHAN, SENIOR EDITOR, PACKAGING WORLD Online CBD purveyor Spruce CBD of Raleigh, NC, was born after a year’s worth of research by founder and principal Tony Spencer to locate the most efficacious strains of hemp. Says Spencer, the resulting products—a moderate and a maximum potency full-spectrum oil tincture and a full spectrum topical cream—contain American-made, high-quality, lab-grade CBD formulated “to provide real results to better people’s quality of life.” The products’ high quality and effectiveness are reflected in their price: the 300-mg Topical CBD Cream in a 2-oz jar is $39, a 1-oz bottle of 750-mg CBD Oil Tincture is $89, and a 1-oz bottle of 2,400mg Max Potency CBD Oil Tincture is $269 (prices are lower with a subscription). In early 2019, Spruce introduced a new shipper for its e-commerce products that artfully communicates the brand message and matches the quality of the items inside. When they were first introduced, Spruce’s products were packaged in a plain Kraft corrugated box from a local supplier. “After just

a month, we began looking for a higher-quality solution with a more appealing brand message,” says Spencer. Using a proprietary printing process called Econoflex, custom box manufacturer Packlane is now supplying Spruce with shippers printed with fine lines and artwork on 100% recycled and recyclable corrugated material that also take less time and are less expensive to produce than boxes printed using flexography. Explains Karen Goeller, product manager at Packlane, Econoflex is a form of direct-contact printing “that is comparable to the quality results of flexo, but without the expense of plates.” (According to the company, packaging printed using Econoflex is available for runs as short as one box as well as for long-run order quantities, with pricing starting at $0.43 per box.) Goeller adds, “Traditional printing on corrugated is challenged by the naturally uneven surface area created by the fluting. Additionally, Kraft substrates in particular can vary significantly in their composi-

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MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS

tion, leading to differences in ink adherence and appearance. “We’ve fine-tuned our proprietary process specifically for corrugated materials and provide extra control for print quality by keeping the print away from crease lines and edges. Best of all, our process and inks perform best on 100% recycled Kraft substrates.” Spencer says he appreciates the sustainability of the packaging. “Ten years ago, we purchased a compost bin and began composting our food scraps, much like our grandparents did,” he shares. “Between composting and recycling at home, our regular garbage can was mostly empty. It hit me that small changes can make a massive impact on the amount of waste we all contribute.” Packlane is supplying Spruce with three box sizes: 6 x 4 x 2 in., 8 x 5 x 2 in., and 10 x 10 x 8 in., all decorated with the Spruce logo and artwork. “I’d never have dreamed it [the appearance of the shipper] mattered that much, but we get so much email and even videos sent to us on YouTube and Instagram from our customers who love our branded packaging,” says Spencer. “I can’t quantify it, but the impact on brand equity seems significant.” Make plans to visit the virtual PACK EXPO Connects Nov 9-13 for the latest in cannabis packaging. For more information visit packexpoconnects.com.

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TECHNOLOGY OEM APPLICATION NOTE

Conducting a Virtual Fat PAT REYNOLDS, VP EDITOR EMERITUS, PACKAGING WORLD

A brand leader in the design and manufacturing of processing and packaging machines for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries, Italy’s MG2 has faced the same challenges that other OEMs have faced as the ongoing pandemic has severely limited the movement of both people and goods. But the firm has overcome some of these difficulties thanks to remote working solutions like Microsoft Teams, video conferencing, and Office 365. In fact, by relying on this technology, MG2 successfully carried out a Factory Acceptance Test with Dr. Gustav Klein GmbH & Co. KG, a specialist in contract manufacturing and distributing herbal medicinal and homeopathic products. The machine at the center of the remote FAT is a compact capsule filler with a maximum speed of 48,000 capsules/hr. It’s equipped with two dosing units for powders and pellets, two capsule transport size parts, and a statistical weight control system Model SWC. Dr. Gustav Klein bought the capsule filler knowing the COVID-19 pandemic was underway. That’s why a remote procedure had to be defined to both run the FAT and carry out product validation. “In this first remote FAT we used two video cameras,” says Eng. Fabrizio Buffoni, MG2 Area Manager, “one fixed and one on the operator. Wearable technology allowed us to show all the components purchased by the customer. The live procedure totally corresponds to the Factory Acceptance protocol that we usually apply. It makes it possible, in fact, to verify full compliance with the order and that the machine operates correctly. “In this specific case, the customer asked to weigh some of his capsules once a production batch was finished. The capsules were then collected in three stages during one hour of production: at the beginning, at the end, and in the middle of the batch production. They were weighed one by one, subsequently emptied, and weighed again. The goal was to give the customer evidence that the capsules had been filled as expected.” The remote procedure, which covers all the steps necessary for the correct execution of an FAT, involves sharing all the documents of both validation and order confirmation, strictly following what is displayed by the two cameras. The batch reports processed by the machine were made available to the customer in real time, thus overcoming the limits imposed by the physical distance between machine builder and machine buyer. The test recording, lasting three working days of eight hours each, is another tool that let the

↑ Remote FAT procedures shown in this screenshot include a mechanical engineer at MG2 (upper left) operating an MG2 compact machine, quality engineer Sarah Jacobs of Dr. Gustav Klein (upper right), and two MG2 experts shown near the bottom of the screen.

customer objectively evaluate the test. “A key element of the FAT is the objective evaluation of the correct capsule filling,” says Buffoni. “In this particular case, the evaluation was highlighted by two specific tests: the SWC weight control system, which tests a capsule every 20 seconds, and a further statistics check requested by the customer. Specifically, we manually weighed the capsules on a scale in front of the camera, thus ensuring maximum reliability and objectivity of the filling process.” In addition, by relying on the same remote technology, it was possible to verify machine documentation items such as the user manual by connecting the customer with the MG2 specialist in charge.

Conducting Virtual FATs: Best Practices The OpX Leadership Network recently released best practices and leadership guidelines for executing virtual factory acceptance tests (vFATs) to address the changing operational landscape brought on by COVID-19. This work product tackles how to most effectively use communication and connection technologies to allow end user companies to interact remotely with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Download this addendum to the existing FAT work product for free at pwgo.to/5684.

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OPERATOR SAFETY

Technology Steps Forward for Social Distancing AARON HAND, EDITOR AT LARGE TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Precautions must remain in place for manufacturing and packaging personnel who often work in close quarters.

2. Real-time location systems (RTLS) may be a helpful technology for maintaining a certain distance between employees.

s states reopen to one degree or another and try to get back to some normalcy, more manufacturing facilities are bringing their workers back. Health experts have argued that precautions need to remain in place, however, or else we risk coronavirus cases spiking again. Without consistent, widespread testing on a national level, manufacturers are left largely to their own devices to ensure safety of their employees as they get back up and running. Fortunately, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Several companies have been developing new technologies to help, and also emphasizing how old technologies could fit the new reality. Social distancing could be with us for quite some time. The distance between two people—as well as the duration of their proximity— significantly influences the risk of infection. But what’s the best way to make sure that factory workers are maintaining a physical distance from one another? Siemens sees real-time location systems (RTLS) as a helpful technology for maintaining a certain distance between employees—and also one that will be of long-term benefit once social distancing is no longer a requirement. RTLS is similar to RFID technology but uses active tags, meaning they have an energy source included that enables them to transmit signals on their own. The signal from the transmitter moves out to at least three antennas called gateways. Depending on how long it takes for the signal to reach the antennas, triangulation enables the technology to figure out where the device is. RFID, on the other hand, uses passive tags. It has to move in proximity to an RFID antenna—within a couple inches, typically—to get information from the tag. RFID is best used when you know where something is, but you don’t know what it is, explains Jeff Snyder, product manager for industrial identification at Siemens Industry.

3. Other wearable technologies including barcode scanners and wristbands may play a role, and have applications after the pandemic.

For example: “You have a raw material that just got delivered to a processing machine, and you want to make sure it’s the right material before you introduce it into the process,” he explained. “RFID can verify that it’s the correct material.” RTLS is better suited when you know what you’re looking for, but you don’t know where it is, Snyder points out. Maybe you’re making turbine blades in a large facility, where the blades travel from one CNC station to another. One way to track those blades as they make their way through the process is with RTLS. “A big advantage of RTLS is that its location resolution is down to a foot,” Snyder said. “If you have time-sensitive goods, it can also help you understand where the delays are.” RTLS can track a forklift very accurately, for example, enabling

↑ The wearable Kinexon SafeTag warns the user—audibly and visually—when the physical distance with another employee has been compromised. Credit: Kinexon Industries

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you to optimize routes for that forklift. With RTLS, you could identify where a pallet is at all times. “What if we put RTLS tags on people to monitor their movement?” Snyder posed. “That kind of sounds like social distancing.” Social distancing, of course, is high on the list of what manufacturing facilities will have to maintain if they’re going to keep their employees safe. “They have to figure out how to fix social distancing problems,” Snyder says. “Part of that is knowing where they’re taking place.” There are several questions that need to be answered along the way: How do we monitor interactions? Is it a quick pass in the hall or did they stop and chat for 15 minutes? Do I have operations that just inherently bring people too close together? How can I make changes and have any idea that they are good changes? Siemens advocates that employees wear RTLS transponders—on a safety vest, for example—to help answer these and other questions. “There’s going to be concentrations of the social distancing violation. Maybe there’s an aisleway that causes problems. Maybe there’s the person who’s trying to set up the bowling league for next fall,” Snyder comments. “There are things that can be quickly and easily addressed through hotspot analysis. The changes customers can do once they have actionable data is going to be fairly simple in a lot of cases.” The transponders will enable distances to be determined down to a foot, ensuring that employees are maintaining safe social distances. The tags can be set up to start a timer when employees get within 6 ft of one another, and a company can decide how long that timer goes before calling it a violation. The RTLS monitoring software also creates a history of employee movements, so it can be used for contact tracing if an employee does become

sick. “You can see all the distance violations that that tag ID had,” Snyder says. RTLS location information also allows employee movements to be analyzed and optimized, including at shift changes, where transitions might particularly need to be optimized.

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OPERATOR SAFETY

Ultimately, it’s a smart investment, Snyder contends, because once the pandemic has passed, the technology will already be in place for a wide variety of other uses throughout the facility. “Once you make this investment in the RTLS hardware, you can use it for other things,” he says. “It’s not a one-time use.”

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Another player in real-time localization advocates the technology for social distancing measures. In this case, German supplier Kinexon Industries has developed Kinexon SafeZone—the core element being a wristband that actively warns the user as soon as the minimum physical distance to another person has been compromised. It is a large-scale industrial system that requires no infrastructure. Optional software also helps companies trace chains of infection and take strategic action. SafeZone comes in two versions. A basic version for real-time warning consists of the Kinexon SafeTag, a wearable with an ultra-precise sensor that warns the user, audibly and visually, when the physical distance has been compromised and the contact duration exceeds a specified time. It uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The extended version for data protection-compliant tracking enables the storage of relevant data relating to critical contact events, allowing for analysis. Potential cases of infection can then be quickly identified using the relevant sensor IDs. “We want to help customers secure jobs and protect the health of their employees,” says Alexander Hüttenbrink, co-founder and managing director of Kinexon. “Instead of complete quarantines, which ultimately means a standstill in the company, we enable prevention strategies by maintaining minimum distances and precisely tracing infection chains.”

Wearable barcodes Keeping in the wearables vein, ProGlove has upgraded its Mark family of wearable barcode scanners and ProGlove Connect app for Android to enable proximity sensing for production line workers. “Our key customers are sharing with us the challenges they’re facing as they rethink and retool to restart operations,” says Andreas Koenig, CEO of ProGlove. “We faced similar challenges as we reviewed our own processes for safety and efficiency. It is our natural tendency, as humans, to want to go back to doing things the way we did them before. However, it’s not possible. Proper social

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OPERATOR SAFETY

distancing is now key to a successful return to work.” The new ProGlove Connect Proximity app provides an additional layer of feedback on an Android device alone or when paired with a ProGlove Mark barcode scanner that rests on the employee’s hand. Workers coming within close proximity of each other are alerted through audio sounds, optic LED light, and haptic vibration signals. This is important in a busy or noisy shopfloor environment where an Android alert alone in a pocket could be easily overlooked. “We tested the Mark upgrade in-house and it works beautifully. We’re now rolling it out on our own assembly line,” notes Konstantin Brunnbauer, vice president of production for ProGlove. “For my team, it is easy to want to fall back into old patterns of working together. But with this extra reminder, we can maintain safe distance.”

New Gaming App on Workplace Safety Mondi, a global provider of packaging and paper, launched a health and safety app in July to raise awareness of workplace safety rules. The HEADS UP! app by Mondi Corrugated Solutions is free to download on any smartphone for the general public in addition to Mondi employees. The gaming format is designed to reinforce commitment to the nine safety rules across Mondi’s plants and mills. Users can connect the learning of behavioral rules to the positive experience of the game. The company reports, “Each safety rule is explained before the start of each game. Players can then test their ability to solve riddles, react quickly and find their way through obstacle courses, all within the theme of Mondi’s culture of safety and health.” “Gamification is the ideal tool for safety and health communication. Statistics show that smartphone gamers come from all occupations, with an almost equal gender and age distribution that matches the average working population,” said Matthias Kreuziger, creative director of Pen&Paper, the agency that supported Mondi in developing the app.

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Turnkey Concept-to-Consumer CDMO Solutions 10/8/20 10:48 AM

EVENT PREVIEW

PACK EXPO Connects Takes the Trade Show to You SEAN RILEY, SENIOR DIRECTOR, MEDIA AND INDUSTRY COMMUNICATIONS

he value of domestic shipments for packaging machinery is forecast to continue growing nearly 5% (CAGR) to $8.7 billion by 2025, according to State of the Industry 2020, from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. With a continually evolving—and sometimes crippling— worldwide pandemic making supply chains and previous supplier and consumer packaged goods (CPG) connections complex, PMMI Media Group introduces a live, virtual event like no other, PACK EXPO Connects 2020, Nov. 9-13. The first experience of its kind, this event boasts several new important features that will help foster connections with the widest variety of solutions providers available anywhere–minimizing attendee time and effort to find the innovations that you need. An easily searchable database of exhibitors and products, conveniently organized by 12 major categories, allows attendees to zero in on specific needs and schedule live chats and interactive product demos with technical experts. The intuitive, state-of-the-art interactive platform makes live engagement with exhibitors simple via MyConnects planner. At the same time, Outlook calendar integration allows attendees to add My Planner events to their Outlook calendar for ease of reference. PMMI Media Group, with decades of extensive industry knowledge, will provide an event full of virtual showrooms for live demos, live chats with product experts, and educational offerings. • Live Product Demonstrations: These efficient, 15-minute, live demonstrations will allow attendees to check out what’s new, ask questions and engage with exhibitors in real-time. • Live 1:1 Chat will allow attendees to chat directly with exhibitors during dedicated event hours. If an attendee can’t catch an exhibitor during the event hours, Virtual Business Cards will help foster those connections even after the event’s conclusion. • Comprehensive Educational Content will feature thought-provoking sessions from leading suppliers and industry experts on today’s packaging trends. All content noted will be available both as scheduled and on-demand after the event.

an additional hour to each day to ensure attendees were able to visit as many virtual showrooms as possible. “The packaging industry looks forward to PACK EXPO each year, so any virtual event linked with the PACK EXPO name is something we know we needed to be a part of,” says Dustin Lee, director of sales, Morrison Container Handling Systems. “In our ever-evolving world, we have to be agile and continue to adapt. It may feel different but using this virtual platform to come together at PACK EXPO Connects is an opportunity for our industry to grow in a new innovative way.” Live showroom hours will run Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CST and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST. To expand PACK EXPO Connects’ global reach, international demos will be broadcasting at 10:00 a.m. China Standard time (8:00 p.m. CST) and 10:00 a.m. Greenwich Mean time (4:00 a.m. CST). In addition, all educational sessions will be available on-demand for international attendees to watch at times convenient to them. Spanish language closed captioning will also be provided for specific content and interviews with industry newsmakers. “PACK EXPO Connects is shaping up to be the most innovative and engaging industry event this year,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “We are so happy that the research and effort invested in this debut event received such an enthusiastic response.” PMMI Media Group conducted extensive end user interviews with some of the world’s leading CPGs. Immediately, the number

Immediate industry excitement Early exhibitor commitment and support outpaced initial projections, forcing PMMI Media Group to extend exhibit hours, adding 24 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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one request across the board was a desire not only to see live technology, but also to interact with exhibitors during the video demos of actual machines. PACK EXPO Connects delivers the technology for exhibitors to conduct these interactive connections, complete with live chat features, resembling virtual Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs). These live video demos, coupled with the ability to interact with technical personnel and product experts, best mimic and fulfill the experience of what attendees expect from an in-person event. Beyond experiencing technology in action, attendees want to spend their valuable time exploring new products, rather than existing products presented as new. PMMI Media Group solicited its in-house team of editors to vet what is and isn’t new, serving as neutral industry experts. Together, they will help make sure that attendees can track down the latest and greatest offerings and the virtual exhibitor showrooms presenting them. Finally, attendees wanted robust, engaging virtual exhibits. Research revealed that attendees are not impressed with fancy 3D renderings of booths on a computer screen. They want to quickly understand what products are available, see live demos, and connect with experts in real-time. Participants noted they would prefer fully fleshed-out web-based showrooms with live feedback and interactions vs. simple listings offering a static encounter. PACK EXPO Connects developed the package to ensure exhibitors can deliver solutions to attendees’ current packaging and processing challenges. Free attendee registration launched Sep. 15, giving CPGs plenty of time and opportunity to prepare for preview week, Nov. 2-6. This soft opening is a key time for registered attendees to browse live demo descriptions, build their planner and save items to Outlook calendars. Organization and pre-planning are key to success with so much to see and experience at PACK EXPO Connects. As a bonus, packexpoconnects.com will remain live until Mar. 31, 2021, offering additional opportunities for attendees to connect with companies via their virtual showrooms.

Get Schooled at PACK EXPO Connects All content noted will be available as scheduled and on-demand. •Innovation Stages: Tune in for 30-minute sessions to hear from exhibitors and industry experts on the latest breakthroughs and trends in sustainability, food & beverage, and more. Presenters will be available during their scheduled session for a live chat Q&A. •Start each day with the morning Jumpstart sessions. The dynamic daily kick-off presentations are highly engaging and fastpaced, featuring multiple subject matter experts in addition to reporting from our own PMMI Media Group editors. Visit packexpoconnects.com for more detail, but for quick reference the topics each day include: • Monday - Sustainable Packaging and Processing

• Tuesday - Workforce Development • Wednesday - The Robotic Revolution • Thursday - Remote Monitoring, Remote Access, and Virtual FATs • Friday - E-commerce, Emerging Brands, Healthcare Packaging Trends and Contract Packaging • Trend Chats will feature interactive discussions on buzzworthy industry topics, including pharmaceutical logistics. • Daily Download: Get the best-of-the-best rundown from our PMMI Media Group editors as they recap can’t miss showcases, the latest innovations, and thought-provoking sessions. • The Solution Room will consist of 45-minute interactive sessions led by industry thought leaders and organizations, discussing packaging challenges. Collaborate to find the solutions you are searching for and engage via live chat. • Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network: In a morning Jumpstart session, PPWLN will feature a presentation from Jan Tharp, president and CEO at Bumble Bee Foods. PPWLN is sponsored by Morrison Container Handling Solutions, Plexpack, Septimatech, and SMC. • The Showcase of Packaging Innovations, sponsored by Klöckner Pentaplast, will feature winning entries from worldwide packaging competitions, including the Flexible Packaging Association, Foil and Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), Reusable Packaging Association, and more. • Miles to McCormick Walk/Run Challenge: Have some fun, be active, and support a good cause, the PMMI Education Foundation. We encourage PACK EXPO Connects participants to take a break, get some fresh air and go for a walk. Participants logging their walks/runs three times throughout the week will be entered to win one of three $150 gift cards for Chicago-themed treats from Taste of Chicago. • PMMI Media Group Awards include the Packaging & Processing Hall of Fame and Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing.

Pub Trivia for Young Professionals Sponsored by Duravant, emerging leaders and young professionals alike can engage, interact, compete, and have some fun with Pub Trivia. Just like the good old days of happy hour trivia, this opportunity promotes fun and networking for a good cause, the PMMI Foundation. Pub Trivia will take place via zoom meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. CST. All you need is a pen and paper to participate. Visit packexpoconnects.com for further details.

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November 9-13, 2020

et ready for the preeminent global virtual event for packagers! PACK EXPO Connects features 2,600 live product demos from leading suppliers. Highlighted within are just some of the demos taking place.* Be sure you and your team view the full demo line-up and create your plan for the event today.

Life Sciences LIVE DEMO PLANNER

Register and create your plan at packexpoconnects.com *This guide features a selection of participating exhibitors with scheduled demos as of press time. View the full live demo line-up online at packexpoconnects.com.

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PACK EXPO Connects LIVE DEMO PLANNER Life Sciences

Type in the URL below to view demo times & more!

Featured Demos

Antares Vision North America: AI Empowerment for Automated Visual Inspection and CCIT: Discover how leveraging AI capabilities can improve image processing algorithms for visual inspection technology.

PE.show/248

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Antares Vision North America: Automated Vision System Control for High Speed Label Print Verification: AV Print Inspection: easy, fast, cost-effective whole label inspection solution for today's variable requirements.

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Antares Vision North America: High-Speed Inspection of Parenterals is Critical for Today’s Demand: 500 vials inspected per minute: LyoCheck’s advanced layouts and software are helping meet today’s expanding market.

PE.show/248

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Antares Vision North America: Yes! You can have an easy to install and use Slat Fill Control System: Easy to integrate, easy to use, high integrity slat fill counts, recipe control and reporting with the AV Slat View.

PE.show/248

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Bedford Industries: Medical Assistance: Whether you need a solution that bends, bundles, or shields, Bedford has a functional solution for your operating room, clinic, or PPE needs!

PE.show/224

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BellatRx Inc.: New - Constellation - Vial Filling, Weighing and Capping System: The Constellation is a cuttingedge turn-key system for loading, filling, weighing, capping, inspection and unloading for tubes and vials.

PE.show/225

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METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection: Mark and Verify System for Pharmaceutical Track&Trace and Serialization: See how this compact system marks and verifies cartons for serialization to meet worldwide product traceability and compliance requirements.

PE.show/148

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METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection: Versatile Pharmaceutical Weighing with High Accuracy and Throughput: See this extremely accurate checkweigher for packages from 3g to 10kg and its wide range of fully customizable product handling variants.

PE.show/148

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MG America, Inc.: Low dose capsule filling for inhalation applications: Inhalation applications for powder lowdosage, including dosages down to and below 5mg with 100% NET weight control.

PE.show/179

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MG America, Inc.: Capsule filler technology for multiple product dosing: Capsule filler technology for multiple product dosages into capsules, controlling the quality of each single dosage.

PE.show/179

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MG America, Inc.: Solutions for IBC Bins, Bin Washing and granulations lines: IBC bin solutions, IBC bin washing, granulation lines and complete plant solutions.

PE.show/179

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MG America, Inc.: State-of-the-art technology for in-process capsule weight control: MG2 capsule filling machines. Statistical to 100% weight control from R&D to full scale production. Discover the advantages of each system.

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MGS Machine Corp.: Integration Experts: MGS Delivers Complete Solutions for Life Sciences: See how MGS integration experts combine deep industry experience & a comprehensive portfolio to deliver complete lines for the life sciences.

PE.show/315

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MGS Machine Corp.: Key Differentiators in Cartoning & Case Packing for Life Sciences: MGS’s modular cartoners & casepacking solutions feautre standard or custom infeeds to accommodate a variety of products in the life sciences.

PE.show/315

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MGS Machine Corp.: Proven Innovations in Outserting Technologies to Save You Time & Money: We'll demo our proven outsert application machines and show you how pairing it with the ECOM will save you 0.75 FTE!

PE.show/315

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MHI - Maruho Hatsujyo Innovations: Blister packager built to meet pharma standards & nutra budgets: EAGLERx Blister Machine with new J-Chute feeding system helps accelerate your feeding speeds while delivering precise operation to fit a range of budgets.

PE.show/254

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MHI - Maruho Hatsujyo Innovations: Blister packaging re-imagined for maximum efficiency: EAGLE-Omni Blister Machine provides compact, flexible performance with the modularity to grow as your packaging needs evolve.

PE.show/254

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MULTIVAC Inc.: Healthcare Packaging with Adrian Possumato and Melissa Fischer: MULTIVAC automated packaging line solutions that improve line efficiencies, increase output and reduce costs for your healthcare packaging.

PE.show/180

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Don’t miss out! Attendance is free. Add demos to your event plan at packexpoconnects.com

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PACK EXPO Connects LIVE DEMO PLANNER Life Sciences

Type in the URL below to view demo times & more!

Featured Demos

NJM Packaging: Cremer Tablet, Capsule, Gelcap Electronic Counting: Cremer tablet counter w/ vision inspection, automatic tablet ejection for bottling tablets, capsules and softgels at speeds up to 200 cpm.

PE.show/119

NJM Packaging: Dara Aseptic Filling for Cell Culture Flasks in Closed RABS: Dara's aseptic processing of Thermofisher bottles up to 20 liters, used in manufacturing of biotech drugs. Filling by weight control.

PE.show/119

NJM Packaging: Dara Filling & Closing: Vials in Nest and Pre-Assembled Caps: Dara's NFL/2-PC machine processes RTU vials in nest and plastic caps with pre-assembled stoppers. Requires no crimping.

PE.show/119

NJM Packaging: Precise Bottle Capping/Torque: Beltorque Capper w/ Torque Monitoring: Beltorque Hi-Speed Inline capper by NJM has precise cap tightening with torque monitoring with synchronized belts -- no scuff or crooked caps.

PE.show/119

NJM Packaging: Turnkey Line Integration: For Tablet, Capsule, Gelcap Packaging: NJM designs, builds & installs turnkey lines for tablets, capsules, softgels, liquid and powder products for pharmaceutical & nutritional.

PE.show/119

NJM Packaging: Vial & Syringe Labeler: All in One Compact Labeler: NJM - Courser Vial/Syringe labeler for biotech/vaccine companies, 503B compound pharmacies, pharma, contract packers for large/small batches.

PE.show/119

OPTIMA Machinery Corporation: Automation Solutions for Improving ELISA Test Kit Production Lines: See our fully automated, modular, and scalable ELISA production line for standard microplates featuring all production steps.

PE.show/483

Pharmaworks LLC: BlisterMate: The Affordable, Semi-Automated / Table-Top Blister Machine: BlisterMate SemiAutomatic blister machine, perfect for R&D / small production. Simple to operate, affordable and comes in small footprint.

PE.show/211

Pharmaworks LLC: Pharmaworks: Your Solution to Blister Machine Vision & Quality Systems: Pharmaworks partners with Scanware to solve any blister machine vision-based application.

PE.show/211

Pharmaworks LLC: TF1e: The Standard in Quick-Change Blister Packaging: TF1e blister machine is perfect for low to moderate production, clinical trials and medical device packaging.

PE.show/211

Pharmaworks LLC: TF1pro: The Most Innovative New Technology in Blister Packaging: ALL NEW TF1pro Blister Machine is a new development from Pharmaworks and will be unveiled during Pack Expo Connects.

PE.show/211

Pharmaworks LLC: TF2: The Most Versatile Medium Output Blister Machine: TF2 blister machine is a medium to high output blister machine. Perfect for standard HUD blister packs, BINGO cards and medical devices.

PE.show/211

Pharmaworks LLC: TF3: The High Output Blister Machine for Today's Demanding Applications: TF3 blister machine is a high output blister machine exceeding 400 blisters/min. Boosts registration features and top of the line in cGMP.

PE.show/211

ProSys Servo Filling Systems: Tube Filling Systems - to 300 TPM: Capable of filling water-thin to highly viscous products for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical & industrial markets.

PE.show/114

Scan American Corporation: Vacuum Mixing and Homogenization Systems by Symex: For all Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical mixing needs including Colors, Emulsions, Liquids, Suspensions, Semi-Solids, Powders, at all viscosity levels.

PE.show/436

Schubert North America LLC: Secondary Vaccine Packaging: Gentle and Flexible Handling of Small Volume Pharmaceutical Containers.

PE.show/192

Syntegon Pharma Technology, Inc.: Automated packaging solution for medical devices: With Syntegonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical device packaging, products are securely handled by an integrated FANUC robot arm & protected within locked guarding.

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Syntegon Pharma Technology, Inc.: Challenges & solutions for medium & high-speed cartridge fill-finish: Trends & challenges for medium and high-speed cartridge applications and two case studies demonstrating solutions for typical insulin lines.

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Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out! Attendance is free. Add demos to your event plan at packexpoconnects.com

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10/7/20 10:40 AM

PACK EXPO Connects LIVE DEMO PLANNER Life Sciences

Type in the URL below to view demo times & more!

Featured Demos Syntegon Pharma Technology, Inc.: Next level ADC processing with advanced Isolator technology: Syntegon’s advancements in Isolator technology that elevate traditional aseptic processing.

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Syntegon Pharma Technology, Inc.: Production ready with SVP Process System for Liquid Pharmaceuticals: Modular Pharmatec SVP process system for the production of small volume liquid pharmaceuticals.

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Syntegon Pharma Technology, Inc.: TPR 500: tablet press for medium and big size production batches: The tablet press TPR 500 assures high output and yield capabilities providing you with a highly cost-effective priceperformance ratio.

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Systech International: Consolidate Your Product Data to Fuel a Business Insights Engine: Get end-to-end visibility PE.show/185 and operational excellence with a crossline consolidation of previously inaccessible product and operations data. Systech International: High-Speed Digital Fingerprinting for Brand Protection—40k per minute: See how we turn every barcode into a unique digital identifier to authenticate and track each product through the supply chain!

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Systech International: Protect Your Brand – Crowdsource Your Counterfeit Detection Program: Learn how to scale up your counterfeit detection program using your entire customer base and a mobile app. It’s covert and cost effective!

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Weber Packaging Solutions: Labeling and Coding Options for Life Sciences: Explore the types of labels & labeling systems available for pharma products, medical devices, RFID, cryo applications, and more.

PE.show/126

Weiler Labeling Systems: WLS Autonomy™ Digital Label Printer: Digital label printer for hi-res codes and visual graphics, printing variable data and the entire label artwork in B&W or full color.

PE.show/164

Weiler Labeling Systems: WLS RL-420 Rotary Bottle Labeler: Rotary bottle labeler with synchronized driven platforms for orienting, labeling, outsert placing and serialization with aggregation.

PE.show/164

Weiler Labeling Systems: WLS VR-72 High-Speed Vial Labeler: Vial labeler with vertical roller trunnions and vacuum drum continuous label application for speeds over 600ppm, with minimal change parts.

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Additional Demos AI Empowerment for Automated Visual Inspection and CCIT by Antares Vision PE.show/248 How to incorporate sustainability in sterile barrier packaging by Charter NEX Films, Inc. PE.show/231 Sampling/Dispensing Downflow Booth by Custom Powder Systems. The Containment Company PE.show/621 Aseptic Filling & Assembling for UDS/BDS Disposable Devices by Dara Pharmaceutical Packaging PE.show/291 Cartoners for Tuck, Auto-Bottom and Glue-Bottom Cartons by ESS Technologies, Inc. PE.show/267 Automation Solutions for COVID-19 Pandemic by Festo Corporation PE.show/187 Blister packager built to meet pharma standards & nutra budgets by MHI - Maruho Hatsujyo Innovations PE.show/254 Highly Customizable Medical Form Fill Seal Packaging Equipment by Ossid PE.show/182 PHARMA- Experience a new dimension in pharma liquid handling - without glass-to-glass contact by Pester USA Inc. PE.show/504 From Solids to Liquids: Your Pharma Packaging Systems Playbook by ProMach, Inc. PE.show/339 Flexible and compact filling and sealing machine for healthcare applications by Rychiger NA PE.show/501 Quick Size Changeover and Predictive Maintenance with SIKO’s IO-Link devices by SIKO Products, Inc. PE.show/500 Five Reasons to use TEQethylene in a Sterile Barrier System by Sonoco Healthcare Division PE.show/309 Achieving high DR and low FRR with automatic vision inspection machines by Stevanato Group PE.show/527 Covid-19 test-kit and vaccine packaging by Tekni-Plex, Inc PE.show/105 Pharmaceutical liquids in sachets and stick-packs by Universal Pack, S.R.L. PE.show/492 Flexible Packaging for Active Ingredients -NI Film- by Zacros PE.show/426

Don’t miss out! Attendance is free. Add demos to your event plan at packexpoconnects.com

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MULTIVAC manual, semi-automatic, and fully-automatic medical and pharmaceutical packaging solutions are available with robotic product loading and label vision systems that enable your company to keep up with growing demand. With more than 4,000 US-based machines installed, 24/7 support, and 75+ US-based service technicians, you can be assured your packaging operations will perform with maximum output and quality.

Increase output. Reduce cost. MULTIVAC Syringe Packaging Line Available with Allen Bradley controls by Rockwell Automation

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10/7/20 2:06 PM

Life Sciences Edition

CONNECTS

Can’t-Miss Product Previews at PACK EXPO Connects Get ready for PACK EXPO Connects, the preeminent global virtual event of all things packaging. Enjoy this sneak peek at some of the latest innovations in life sciences machinery and materials that you and your teams can expect to see when the event goes live online November 9-13, 2020. Although the event is free and viewable from anywhere, timing of live demos is limited—so be sure to plan each day in advance. To aid you in making your “game plan” for the virtual event, the following guide highlights some of the exhibitors that will be of particular interest to those in life sciences.* You’ll preview which exhibitors will have live demos and which key products you’ll want to chat about with exhibitors. (And yes, PACK EXPO Connects will have lots of great education, networking opportunities with peers and all the other tried-and-true makings of a top industry event.) See technology in action, discover new solutions and plan for the future.

Set up your plan for each day at packexpoconnects.com.

Product Previews At-a-Glance Live Demo: The exhibitor will be hosting a live session showcasing this product’s performance and answering questions from end users.

*This guide features a selection of participating exhibitors with relevant products as of press time. View the full exhibitor line-up and complete product listings online at packexpoconnects.com.

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PACK EXPO Connects GAME PLAN

Life Sciences

View demo times & more at

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PE.show/248

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Gentle mixing – 100% recovery LeviMag® UltraPure is a magnetic mixer with levitating impeller – resulting in nearly 100% yield.

BioPharm processing approved BioPharm plants are now looking to Mixproof technology. And Alfa Laval Unique UltraPure valves are proven.

The Fittings standard for 100 years Tri-Clover fittings have been the industry standard since 1919. So is it worth the risk of a less proven supplier?

AI for Automated Visual Inspection Leverage AI capabilities to improve image processing algorithms for visual inspection technology.

Leveraging Data Intelligence Real-time performance monitoring at line, plant and corporate level through data-driven intelligence.

CCI Beyond Compliance Comprehensive tailored solutions for CCI & Visual Inspection of sterile parenteral packaging up to 600 units/min.

High-Speed Serialization • Thermal Ink Jet: GX-Series

Codes on Flexible Packaging • Fibre Laser: F-Series

Error Free Coding Domino helps prevent operator errors. Find out how.

Serialization and beyond Multi-level aggregration and so much more…

Smooth, clear, clean codes, made to last • Ink jet: Ax-Series

GS1-Compliant Printing • Print-and-Apply: M-Series

10/7/20 10:41 AM

PACK EXPO Connects GAME PLAN

Life Sciences

View demo times & more at

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Bander/Labeler for Track & Trace Label and unitize products gently with paper, transparent films, or pre-printed/ branded bands.

Paper Bander & Strapping Machine Use ultrasonic technology to bundle and unitize products with branded bands semi-automatically or automatically.

Automated Carton Bundler Automatically group and secure your cartons (including 5th panels) directly off your cartoning line.

Increase Output â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Reduce Cost Packaging solutions with robotic automation and vision systems increase line efficiency and eliminate errors.

MULTIVAC Clean Designâ&#x201E;˘ Designed for packaging sensitive healthcare products within GMP guidelines and a high degree of process reliability.

Complete Lines from a Single Source One supplier for all your packaging line needs with an extensive service network for unmatched support.

Medical Packaging Equipment Our Aergo medical sealing machines are designed for performance, productivity, reliability & operator safety

Quality Healthcare Thermoforming TEQ thermoforms healthcare packaging and medical instrument covers with expert precision

Temperature Assurance Packaging Our cold chain packaging solutions are designed for the safe & efficient transport of medications & vaccines

Alloyd Medical Sealing System Sonoco Alloyd will unveil the NEW Integrated Lidding/Sealing System! A MUST-SEE for all packaging experts

TEQethylene Sterile Barrier System Learn more about TEQethylene, our 100% recyclable medical packaging solution

ThermoSafe Orion Rental System Reduce costs, payload risks, & environmental impact with our Orion Rental System. Simple. Smart. Sustainable.

10/7/20 10:41 AM

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PACK EXPO Connects GAME PLAN

Life Sciences

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SB/PH1-1418 Sealer Medical Shuttle Packaging Machine • Medical Tray Sealing • Automatic Shuttle

ERB/PH4-1418 Sealer Semi-Automatic Rotary Packaging Machine • Medical Tray Sealing • Automatic Tyvek Feed

FAB/PH6-1824 Sealer Pharmaceutical Automatic Packaging Machine • Wallet Packaging • Fully Automatic

Modular SVP process system Process system for the production of small volume liquid pharmaceuticals.

Liquid dosage forms portfolio From process technology, liquid fill-finish, inspection technology to secondary packaging and services.

World class inspection technologies Automated inspection machines for particles, cosmetic defects and container closure integrity testing.

Solid dosage forms portfolio From R&D services to granulation, continuous manufacturing, tablet compression, coating and capsule filling.

Medical device packaging system Safe and secure robotic feeding and flow wrapping for medical device products.

Solutions for entire machine life-cycle Gain access to an extensive range of customized services from a single source, all over the world.

NI-Σ Soft Bags for Injectables Ultimate “glasslike” protection from extractables and leachables not found in typical IV bags.

Filmbyna® Transdermal Release Liner Extensive line-up, fully customizable liners available. Top share for transdermal pharma in Japan.

NI Film for Sensitive Ingredients Non-absorbing, fragrance retaining, easy-sealing films that are ideal for lotions, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics.

10/7/20 10:42 AM

AUTOMATION

↖ Young Living sells 5 and 15 mL bottle sizes with screw caps. Credit: Young Living

Hitting Essential Filling Speeds for Essential Oils AARON HAND, EDITOR AT LARGE TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Young Living chose a pharma-grade filler for speed and reliability.

2. Time savings also come through automatic recipe functions.

3. The system was customized for screw caps instead of standard vial stoppers.

utraceutical companies might be getting called out by pharmaceutical companies these days to follow the same sorts of guidelines that they’re held to, but the key reasons a leading essential oil maker went with a pharma-grade filler had a lot more to do with speed and reliability. “I’d recommend Bosch if they were filling 5 and 15 mL bottles of anything,” says Trent Davies, facilities and maintenance manager for Young Living. What the FLC 3080 TR-EO filling machine from Syntegon Technology (formerly Bosch Packaging Technology) provides for Young Living is stainless steel construction that’s easy to clean, won’t corrode from the essential oils or cleaning agents, and is easy to access. It also offers a throughput that’s three times as fast as what Young Living was getting from its previous fillers. Young Living’s four monoblock filling/capping machines can each output 90-100 bottles/min. In contrast, the Syntegon filler runs at a speed of 300 bottles/minute for both the 5 and 15 mL bottle sizes that Young Living sells. The Syntegon system starts with its standard pharma-grade FLC 3080 but is modified for screw caps rather than the usual rubber stopper finish.

↑ The FLC 3080 TR-EO filling machine is an eight-head piston pumping system. Credit: Syntegon Technology

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AUTOMATION

For standard pharmaceutical vials that are stoppered and crimp capped, Syntegon makes machines that can fill at speeds of 30/ minute to more than 600/minute. “When Young Living came to us with these screw caps, the challenge was can we still maintain the high rates of filling but also the screw capping,” says Mark Schwartzbauer, applications engineering manager—pharma liquid for Syntegon. Syntegon has been making 300+/minute fillers that do screw capping for well over 20 years—putting screw caps on saline solution bottles, for example, for companies like Alcon and Bausch + Lomb. In this case, however, the cap also included a built-in dropper inside it, creating an added challenge. The speed was an important aspect of what Davies was looking for in operations at Utah-based Young Living, which was seeing significant growth in the essential oils market. Aromatherapy pickme-ups and relaxation are just the tip of the iceberg for essential oils. They’re used in home products for safer cleaning supplies, in nutritional supplements, as flavoring in foods and beverages, and in a wide range of personal care products. With an expansion of food and beverage industries and added health benefits of essential oils expected to boost their use in pharmaceutical and medical applications, the market is poised for growth. A growing consumer preference for natural and organic products is expected to boost essential oil sales to more than $11 billion by 2022, according to Allied Market Research, with a CAGR of 8.7% from 2016.

↑ Customizing the pharma-grade FLC 3080 for screw caps instead of standard vial stoppers created some challenges for maintaining high throughput, but Syntegon was able to provide speeds of 300 bottles/ minute. Credit: Syntegon Technology

Keeping up with demand As a leader in essential oils, Young Living passed $1 billion in sales in 2016. With demand continuing to rise, their existing filling and labeling equipment just couldn’t keep up. Not only was Syntegon able to deliver the high-speed equipment that tripled the output of the 5 and 15 mL bottles, but it incorporated the other advanced technologies that Davies was looking for as well. “The technology on this line is head and shoulders above our old lines; it’s not even close,” Davies says, pointing to the FLC’s servo technology, advanced human-machine interface (HMI), and batch data reports. “The comparison of the HMI alone—it gives so much more information than our other ones do.” As an example of what can be done with the batch records, Davies notes how cap torque history had previously been done manually— now saving staff hours by getting those reports through the batch records. “[This] allows the manufacturing manager to do his reviews on what is going on with the machine throughout the day or through the week,” he says. “So if he has customer complaints, like if there’s a complaint of a leak, he can find out almost instantly, on that day, if it came off the Bosch or not.” A typical batch data report captures all the pertinent information of a production run, Schwartzbauer notes. “It would capture

↑ The HMI on Syntegon’s filling and capping machine gives much more information than those of Young Living’s other fillers, according to Davies. Credit: Syntegon Technology

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AUTOMATION

any alarms, any stoppages of the machine, it captures all the recipes when things were set up or things were changed, but it also captures things like rates of the vials,” he says. “We also have a statistical checkweigh, so we’re monitoring the weights for sampling of the bottles that are going through. We’re capturing the torque data; we’re also capturing good vials vs. rejects.” Time savings also come through automatic recipe functions, notes John Augsburger, regional sales manager—pharma liquid packaging for Syntegon. “You have the ability to save and create new recipes that you can just load at the touch of a button,” he says. “It recalls the last parameters you used for that particular product and that particular vial size. So everything is in the machine; you do not have to set up the machine over and over and dial it in.”

Return on investment The FLC 3080 TR-EO filling machine is an eight-head piston pumping system with statistical checkweigh, 16-head rotary screw capper, and cap vision inspection with reject station. The line uses a third-party labeler, which was sourced and integrated by Syntegon. Though the benefits over its other four fillers might seem clear, Young Living did not take the purchase decision on the FLC 3080 lightly. “It was a big jump for Young Living in terms of output and

0520_03_EssentialOil.indd 38

yield. But it was also a big commitment in terms of investment compared to what they were used to paying for a filler,” Augsburger says. “It’s not something that would be easy to justify if you were an engineer trying to sell it internally.” “It was a challenge to sell it to upper management for the investment,” Davies confirms. “But I think now that they’ve seen what it can do and what it’s doing, I don’t question if it ever came up again that there’d be a problem.” In fact, Young Living is in the process of starting another filling project with Syntegon, Davies says, though he’s not ready to share any details at press time. From Davies’ perspective, the service from Syntegon also plays heavily into his satisfaction. “I’ve had a long history of dealing with startup equipment and dealing with problems. My opinion is that [Syntegon] went over and above what I’ve seen a lot of machine manufacturers do on some of our problems as far as accepting costs and working stuff out with us and timelines and meeting deadlines,” he says. “They were very, very proactive.” For the latest in filling machinery, make plans to visit the virtual PACK EXPO Connects, Nov. 9-13. For more information visit www. packexpoconnects.com

10/7/20 3:23 PM

PACKAGE DESIGN

Tampons in an Ice Cream Pint Make a Whimsical Statement KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT

TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Rael sought a unique secondary package for their newest SKU in personal care.

2. They selected a recyclable paperboard pint, with manual filling operations.

eminine care brand Rael is a startup founded in 2017 by three Korean American women who wanted to bring wellbeing to women’s lifestyles, offering products free of harsh chemicals. “Because we grew up in Korea, we grew up using Korean feminine care products, which we found are higher performing and more comfortable,” says CEO Yanghee Paik. The women all came from various work backgrounds and learned about the personal care market as they went. “I used to be a movie distributor at the Walt Disney Studios,” explains Paik. One cofounder is a designer and the third, a best-selling writer on empowerment and female leadership. Beginning with feminine pads and liners—which Paik says are more popular in Korea—they were focused on using high quality ingredients, opting for organic cotton from Texas. “In this space,

3. One challenge was finding the perfect size pint to hold the 18-count quantity.

it’s a big advantage that we are female-founded and that we knew exactly what we wanted as consumers ourselves. That really helped a lot to get the product right,” she notes. Their first product line was successful. Three to four months after launching on Amazon, they became the number one brand in the segment. They knew the tampon market was big in the U.S. and branched out. “After getting some strong VC backing, we launched our B2C sites and then our big mission was to secure a brick and mortar distribution channel” to catch consumers passing by and make it easy for them to repurchase. Rael secured a deal and began selling in Target stores in 2019. In addition to pads and tampons, they began producing hygienic wipes, heating pads, and skincare. With two tampon SKUs on the market—a long applicator and Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 39

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PACKAGE DESIGN

a cardboard applicator both in traditional cartons—Rael wanted fresh packaging for their new compact tampons.

Whimsical look

then it was a pretty smooth process,” Paik explains. The tampons are produced and packaged in Israel, where 18-count cartons are currently packed by hand instead of in an automated process. “That’s another challenge, but it’s a sacrifice that we made in order to make this package happen. I’m glad that this packaging is catching people’s eyes on the shelf… that makes it worth it.” A quick look at their Instagram shows consumers tagging friends and leaving happy comments about the unique packaging.

“With this third launch in the tampon family, we wanted to do something very unique. You think about who is using this compact tampon. It’s a smaller package for people who are more active, who live a dynamic life, and are maybe more adventurous,” Paik says. “So we wanted to do something that’s a little more fun for these consumers. “Tampons and pads don’t have to be ugly—they can be elegant and sophistiSustainability cated. If you do something that’s curvier, ↑ Rael co-founder and CEO Yanghee Paik. Paik says they try to source recyclable and that really stands out. This ice cream pint plant-based/paper packaging as much as is caught our eyes. We wanted something playful and whimsical that possible. (The ice cream carton can be recycled.) For their first iterwould look pretty on the shelf,” she notes. “And I don’t think people ation, the tampons’ primary packaging is a polypropylene wrap. By the next batch, which was set to hit shelves in summer 2020 as of would be embarrassed to keep this outside of their cabinets and put press time, they planned to transition to paper wrappers. it on the counter.” They are not able to reveal the carton supplier in China, but Rael They also had the option to tape all the way around the lid to designed everything with their creative team in-house. make it secure. “But instead, we looked hard to find a lid that’s tight One challenge they faced was finding the perfect size pint that enough so it doesn’t get loose. Then we use two small adhesives on would hold an 18-count quantity of tampons, because they didn’t the left and right side of the lid so that when people peel them, they want to go the custom carton route. “It took a while to go through don’t have to damage the whole carton,” Paik says. She wanted it to a lot of different factories and to find the right size. Once we did, look good on the counter for possible reuse. “That’s something that we’re keen on, making things that aren’t meant to be wasted right away, but that can be viewed as reusable if possible.”

Marketing to match

↑ The team searched for a lid that’s tight enough not to loosen in transit—they apply two smaller adhesive stickers on the sides instead of applying tape all the way around.

In keeping with the packaging design, their site and Instagram feature cotton ball ice cream images that are playful without appearing childish. “If you think about periods, there’s nothing really fun about them. Many consumers happen to eat a lot of sweets during that week—sometimes chocolate and ice cream help. So we linked to the notion of comfort and sweetness during this inconvenient phase of your cycle,” she says. Their original pad was in green packaging so Paik considers that the main brand color, while the liners come in a slightly orange, natural hue. “We wanted to add this pink color to the family, which gives a feminine, sophisticated look,” she says. Per her creative director, purple accents offer a regal and elegant feel, and mixing the purple and pink balance optimism, imagination, and trust. The darker green R in leaves is a graphic element used to convey that it’s a natural product and is used on every package in the product line.

40 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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PACKAGE DESIGN

The carton messaging starts with “Why Rael?” to list benefits, then moves to the ingredient stories, as well as packaging ingredients. Next is the indication of the absorbency capacity in a concise and visual way. As is required by the FDA, “ATTENTION” goes with the Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) warning. For the latest in packaging design, materials, and more, make plans to visit PACK EXPO Connects 2020, Nov. 9-13. For the full schedule and registration, visit packexpoconnects.com.

Finding Success Outside of Experience “It’s been a busy three years for sure,” she says about their expansion to provide hormonal and daily use skincare. They also recently launched reusable pads to grow their sustainable offerings. Paik is inspired that customers are so responsive to the product and conscious of health issues, ingredients, and the environment. “We’re really trying to build Rael as a brand that provides 360-degree solutions to women, everything they need throughout the month with nontoxic, naturally-derived ingredients. That’s a big mission for the company,” Paik notes. She says that while none of the cofounders had firsthand experience or much knowledge about CPGs and feminine

← The darker green R in leaves is a graphic element used on every package in the product line. Yellow, green, and orange accents highlight the different absorbencies in the product family.

care at the outset, “the beauty of a startup is that you may not have the background but with the right team, passion, and some out-of-the-box thinking capabilities, you can disrupt the market. I would encourage everyone to think about entrepreneurial opportunities when they come up even if you don’t have the exact experience (though perhaps not during this current pandemic and economic situation).”

Are you looking for a dedicated partner to support you with your pharma production challenges? Discover how our vision inspection, assembly and packaging solutions can unlock the potential of your business.

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10/8/20 10:51 AM

Critical Cold-Storage & Cryogenic Labeling

During these unprecedented times, Weber remains committed to the well-being of our employees, business partners, and local communities. Furthermore, as an Essential Business, Weberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products are a key component of a vital supply chain supporting our medical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. We are aware of the critical need to continue operating within these important sectors of the scientific community in order to help detect and contain the spread of the virus.

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When it comes to cold-storage and cryogenic labeling, Weber Packaging draws upon our expertise to provide durable label solutions designed for applications that include biological and pharmaceutical products. Performance across a wide range of conditions, from room temperature to storage in deep-freeze environments, and all throughout the supply chain is essential. Labels also work with a variety of plastic and glass containers; including tubes and vials, delivering reliable tight mandrel performance. With demand for these products continuing to grow at a rapid pace during the current COVID-19 pandemic, Weber supports the timely production and shipping of vital labeling solutions. Our goal is to work together proactively to support you and your business needs during this challenging and rapidly changing time. Weber Sales and Customer Service Teams are available for any questions that you may have for us.

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9/9/20 10:43 AM 10/7/20 2:33 PM

DIAGNOSTICS

Variable Barcodes to Boost COVID-19 Test Kit Experience KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Technology turns a standard color or line result into a scannable barcode, leaving less to consumer interpretation.

2. Tests can be recalibrated because there is a central database of results—artificial intelligence can be used to recalibrate the test.

3. The data is being used to learn about the pandemic.

any consumers who’ve had the experience of purchasing at-home health tests have been faced with “faint line” confusion. Does it count? Is it even a line? They purchase the device looking for answers and end up more unsure. Israel-based Varcode is looking to improve lateral flow test kits with technology intended to take the guesswork out of reading results by offering a scannable barcode. Though barcodes are typically static, Varcode, which also has offices in the U.S., has developed a method of changing a barcode based on a sensor, making it dynamic and scannable. (Varcode stands for “variable barcode”).

↑ Anatomy of a simple lateral flow test kit.

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DIAGNOSTICS

Temperature Indication Varcode also produces temperature indication tags using thermochromatic ink for temperature-sensitive lab samples and products. In most cases vaccines are extremely sensitive to temperature, and Varcode has been approached by large pharmaceutical companies looking to ensure temperature compliance of the COVID-19 vaccines they’re developing. At Netherlands-based Labonovum, a medical diagnostics company, the indicators are used for incoming patient samples (not related to COVID-19). Dennis Poland, clinical biochemist, explains, “When a blood sample arrives in our lab, the Varcode tag is immediately scanned. All the data is uploaded to our system and we get immediate feedback on the quality and condition of the sample,” he explains. “All of this happens within a blink of an eye without generating additional work on the floor. Most important however, is that we can guarantee a correct diagnosis.”

START

Innovation from hand to health

TAG ID: 1900769080 MDL #: 11080-1

1 2 3

Remove backing on tag Apply tag to specimen vial Pull green START tab

Yaron Nemet, chief technology officer and director of Israeli operations, explains, “It’s relatively easy to take a barcode and make it unreadable. But it’s difficult to take one readable state and to move it into a different readable state. We’re accomplishing this using time and a temperature sensor to change the barcode.” Varcode is now at work on applying this technology in a rapid flow test (RFT) for a COVID-19 sensor.

Rapid flow test The RFT kit consists of lateral flow assay (LFA) inside of a housing (see image, left). The assay contains a certain protein that demonstrates the virus painted with gold, and the existence of antibodies in the blood plasma will tie to the protein and cause a color change in the form of a line. With Varcode’s Smart Tag technology, the LFA remains the same—the changes are the additional printed opaque layer added on top of the LFA and the viewer scanning experience. The actual test kit itself, approximately the size of a credit card, is composed of plastic and is similar to what you would see in a pregnancy test

on the market today. Once the sample is collected, the patient follows the prompts in the mobile app, scans the Smart Tag(s) when instructed, and the information is automatically sent to the secure cloud. The mobile app processes the data, shares it with approved health agencies and/ or doctors, and returns results and/or instructions to the patient. The manufacturer can also choose to obscure results from patients to prevent self-diagnosis or self-treatment. In these cases, the test can be performed from the comfort of home with physician-defined automated return messaging sent to the patient through the app.

Adding patient information Allowing for additional patient information through an app can improve test accuracy. Certain LFAs benefit from a barcode more than others. Nemet says, “Let’s take a pregnancy test. You’ll have a visible state with one or two lines and you can see them, but sometimes it’s not very clear whether you have two lines or not.” Another case may be that the manufacturer wants to add additional information to contribute to the test’s accuracy. “So it’s not only the line, it’s the line plus, ‘Do you have fever? When was the last period?’ And then we can take all this information—with the intensity of the line—to give an answer. It’s a complicated task made possible by using a computerized algorithm,” he explains.

Accuracy and recalibration The option to recalibrate tests is another feature Varcode technology can accommodate. “Most pregnancy tests state they have a 99.X% accuracy rate. How do they know that this is the actual number? It’s based on tests they made in the lab,” Nemet says. But variations during assay production can potentially affect accuracy. Too little gold color added to an LFA can cause a very light line to show, even if the patient has a positive result. Too much gold color added during production, and the consumer may see a false positive. Nemet says, “If you have big data—a large number of tests—you can recalibrate your test afterwards. This is critical when you’re dealing with new viruses such as COVID-19 or the next COVID-20 that we all hope doesn’t come.” The idea is that they are storing the results in a database. As an example, a light line is thought to be “negative” at the outset of a pandemic. Later on with more testing conducted, researchers find the result was actually “positive,” and they can calibrate the app that even this light line is “positive.” Currently, manufacturers are in a rush and building millions of tests. Nemet says that later on, manufacturers may want to recalibrate as the data sets become bigger, “and this is something you cannot do if you have a standard rapid flow test,” he notes. Nemet says the added costs to manufacturing are nominal. “The manufacturing process is the same, we are just adding printing to

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the packaging which causes the barcode change. And of course, when you have a database, there are some costs related to that,” but dividing it by the number of tests, it’s reported by the company to be very small.

New applications in COVID-19 testing When the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic was understood, a company that developed an RFT approached Varcode to build a mechanism to convert the barcode based on results. Nemet explains, “They understood that they needed to have a sample database—they needed big data in order to recalibrate the tests and get

Privacy There are issues that need to be addressed regarding privacy, and regulations and expectations differ between countries. “Of course, all of the information that goes into our system is highly confidential and the manufacturer defines whether certain data is mandatory to enter or not. Everything is based on the FDA regulation, FDA CFR21 Part 11. We’re definitely giving lots of thought and attention to confidentiality and the security of the data,” Nemet explains.

↑ Results can cause confusion for consumers when interpreting lines on traditional tests. The company is at work on FDA approval for its COVID-19 test kit.

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DIAGNOSTICS

more accuracy, to reduce false positive and false negative results.” The COVID-19 application is the first use of the Varocde technology in the lateral flow test market—they are now

working on FDA approval and they estimate that kits will hit the market before the end of the year based on current positive results. “We are building a specific COVID-19 app because we want to get additional information

about the extra symptoms in order to combine to the results,” Nemet explains. They also want to collect information about the exposure of the patient to other people, such as where they were, if they were using a subway, and when. Of course, every country differs in privacy laws. In Israel, where Nemet is based, certain data is sent to the minister of health to contribute to public health decisions about offices, public spaces, etc. (See Privacy sidebar, left.)

A future for other applications This system is not only applicable to COVID-19. “The method of using AI and big data in order to collect data and recalibrate our tests will enable us to use this technology for other RFT kits, with the goal of being more prepared for the next epidemic that everyone hopes will not happen,” says Nemet. By offering RFTs with more intelligence, less is left to user interpretation. “If you have a very light line of IgM, the user may take whatever answer they want or expect. They may say, ‘It’s much lighter than the control line, therefore I’m not sick.’ Another patient may think, ‘I have a line, and although it’s very light, it’s not nothing. So maybe I am sick,’” Nemet notes. “So the idea is to give an answer to the patient that’s not solely based on their opinion and their way of analyzing the line. Of course, we are analyzing those lines, but we can compare the result to thousands of different lines.” PACK EXPO Connects – November 9-13. Now more than ever, packaging and processing professionals need solutions for a rapidly changing world. The power of the PACK EXPO brand delivers the decision-makers you need to reach. For more information visit www.packexpoconnects.com.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Q&A: Non-Profit Launches Sustainable Procurement Guide KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT

“

The healthcare sector is both a significant contributor to the global planetary health crisis and uniquely burdened by it,” says Practice Greenhealth’s “Why Sustainability” page. The organization is seeking to transform healthcare worldwide so that it reduces the industry’s environmental footprint, with the goal of proactively improving the health, safety, and happiness of individuals and communities worldwide. With healthcare representing 18% of the U.S. economy and 10% of the global economy, the industry has enormous buying power to transform the status quo. It’s easy to find headlines about the detrimental effects of healthcare—in carbon footprint, waste management, and more. But in a recent BBC article, How do you fix healthcare’s medical waste problem? the author posits the question, “What if health care providers didn’t have to choose between sustainability and patient safety?” Enter Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and Practice Greenhealth. HCWH was formed more than 20 years ago in response to the serious problem of medical waste incineration and the potent pollutants that were making people sick. The organization called upon healthcare to act in line with its Hippocratic oath of “first, do no harm.” Since its founding, HCWH has grown into a broad-based international coalition of hundreds of organizations and thousands of hospitals and health partners in more than 50 countries. Working closely with Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable healthcare, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,100

U.S. hospitals and health systems. To further these efforts, Practice Greenhealth released its sustainable procurement guide in July with the goal of practical and cost-effective sustainable supply chain transformation. (See Resources sidebar for more.) Looking to align with health systems’ sustainability goals? Healthcare Packaging talked with Practice Greenhealth’s Beth Eckl, director of environmental purchasing and lead on the sustainable procurement guide, and Scott Rich, director of membership growth and marketing, who offered information for pharma and medical device manufacturers. What are hospitals looking for from life science manufacturers? Recycling may still be tough in many fast-paced operating rooms due to time constraints. But beyond that, Eckl notes that members continue to struggle with recycling certain packaging. “That is one of the biggest hurdles because they ultimately want to reduce the hospital waste and there are several waste streams, such as solid waste, regulated, and hazardous waste. Hospitals are looking for packaging that would help them reduce their waste and reduce disposal costs. Recyclable or reusable is ideal.” The organization highlights the issue of chemicals of concern in packaging, and making sure that the packaging isn’t going to leach chemicals that would potentially cause harm to patients or workers in the buildings. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is also important,” says Eckl. Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 47

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What claims can be made on packaging? A recyclable package is as good as the stream it goes into. There must be access to a given recycling stream. “The Federal Trade Commission Green Guides came out in 1992 and they define what

Resources Links are available at hcpgo.to/384. Sustainable Procurement Guide Practice Greenhealth’s guide for health systems to make practical changes, published July 2020: hcpgo.to/383. Use Reusables Success stories, switch-to-reusable calculator, and more at usereusables.org. Practice Greenhealth Awards The organization recognizes 25 hospitals setting the standard for sustainability in healthcare. Practice Greenhealth’s Cost of Ownership Calculator This calculator helps hospitals and health systems make the best procurement decisions by providing a framework to assess the financial costs and bring hidden costs to the surface: practicegreenhealth.org/gco. Practice Greenhealth’s Standardized Environmental Criteria The standardized environmental criteria support identifying and purchasing sustainable products and provides an industry-wide set of expectations for healthcare products where existing standards are unavailable. The criteria address two important impact areas: chemicals and waste reduction.

claims can be made. Manufacturers can use the recycling claim if the package can be collected, separated, and recovered by a system that is available to the majority of customers, which they mean as 60%,” Eckl says. How can manufacturers collaborate with health systems? Healthcare manufacturers (both big and small) know that changing a package configuration is not an easy task with factors such as validation, the use of legacy machinery, and more. Collaboration is needed between manufacturers and their customers for realistic requests and meaningful change. Medical device and pharma manufacturers (referred to as vendors) can now join Practice Greenhealth, where they were unofficial partners in the past. Rich explains, “We’ve been working over the last year and a half to develop a product for what I call our “non-hospital” and “non-provider” partners to be able to join, because we heard from our supply chain partners that they wanted to help support our mission to transform health care. They also wanted to collaborate and see what our resources were so they can

help support that work in the hospitals.” What resources are available in the reusable transport space? Practice Greenhealth helps systems navigate the field of reusable transport packaging. In one example, they collaborated with StopWaste and the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) to create case studies and content at usereusables.org. The stories are organized by reusable type and industry, and the site features cost comparison calculators for containers, pallets, and wraps. Packaging pulls a lot of focus in headlines, but what about sustainable transportation? The organization is expanding its resources on sustainable transportation to reduce climate impact. “We’ve set transportation supply chain goals and performance metrics for our members to consider. One example is for hospitals to increase the percentage of EPA SmartWay partners among their top 10 distributors (by annual expenditure) to 80% or greater and/or achieve an idle-free campus,” says Eckl. “That way, their transportation and suppliers’ transportation efficiencies can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.” The EPA makes this program readily available for suppliers and vendors. What can manufacturers do? The first thing vendors can do to make procurement easier in terms of waste reduction is to collaborate with their downstream partners. “One thing we hear a lot from our supply chain and procurement folks is about opening the channels of communication with the vendors to really see what their needs are,” says Rich. “If the vendors don’t know our hospitals are making waste reduction and packaging upgrades a priority, then they don’t necessarily know they need to change. Having open dialogue so they can share goals and targets together is key because they’re partners in this health care ecosystem.” In the hierarchy of waste reduction—reduce, reuse, recycle— there could be more focus on minimizing packaging to eliminate unnecessary materials, reusing packaging, or using reusable totes or rigid sterilization containers whenever possible. “A lot of hospitals are moving away from wrapping their medical devices in disposable blue wrap toward rigid sterilization containers that can be reused. That wrap is taken off the supplies before it’s even entered an operating room,” says Eckl. She adds that it’s also important that recyclable packaging is clearly labeled as such for busy healthcare personnel. In terms of communicating efforts to the buyers, Eckl mentions Kaiser Permanente’s 2017 Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP) standard, which is publicly available. “When we launched our sustainable procurement guide, we also released a standardized environmental criteria that is aligned with Kaiser Permanente’s EPP standards. It suggests criteria for waste reduction with several questions around packaging. I would encourage vendors to be aware

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SUSTAINABILITY

of the document and the criteria that health care is looking for.” How has the reception been among health systems? Reception for the new procurement guide has been positive. As Eckl notes, “The health systems—especially during this current COVID-19 crisis—are very, very attuned to supply and costs because both of those are being impacted right now.” Health systems are working with their suppliers and communities in order to build resiliency so that they are better ready to face future disruptions to the supply chain. The Practice Greenhealth network works with nearly one-third of U.S. hospitals. “Everybody that joins Practice Greenhealth is on a different sustainability journey. Some are at the very beginning trying to get their feet wet and they come to us because they don’t know what they don’t know yet. Then there are others that are a little bit more advanced in their journey,” says Rich. No matter where they are in the journey, health systems are finding that sustainable procurement is a key action area for financial sustainability and for the benefit of patients, workers, the community, and the planet. How do you recognize achievement in the field? Practice Greenhealth has an awards program for hospitals and health systems. They recently identified the top 25 Environmental Excellence Award winners. Topic areas include climate, waste reduction, leadership, water conservation, and more. For example, the St. Cloud VA Healthcare System in Minnesota was honored for switching to reusable sterilization containers, reducing waste by 7,350 pounds in the first three months while maintaining high standards for staff and patient safety. Are there financial incentives for making sustainable upgrades? Eckl notes that sourcing options from sustainable suppliers

continues to grow. “I think it started with the investment community’s focus on higher ratings. There are dozens of companies that rate supplier sustainability, and that is becoming an interest for some health care organizations because it’s very difficult to know all the answers around what a vendor is doing. There are dozens of questions that could be asked, so health systems look at these ratings.” Given two products that are nearly identical, it is possible that one manufacturer’s more sustainable processes—such as reducing fossil fuel use or conserving water at their plant—could help them stand out to procurement directors. How do you handle concerns over of greenwashing? Marketing claims can be confusing or misleading for a buyer. “We encourage health care purchasers to be cautious about these claims and to ask vendors to provide scientific evidence because claims, such as ‘biodegradable’ can be very confusing,” says Eckl. “In fact, two states have forbidden marketing claims using any degradable terms.” She cites the study by William Rathje, a professor of anthropology, that found that very little degrades in a traditional landfill. To degrade, materials need water and sunlight. Materials buried in a landfill do not receive water and sunlight. “Additionally, when you put an item in a plastic liner and then throw it in the trash, it probably is even less likely to degrade in a landfill.” The term doesn’t necessarily mean anything without the context to describe the degradation conditions. Is sustainability always more costly? For health systems, choosing more sustainable pathways can lead to savings in some cases, in addition to reducing environmental harm. Practice Greenhealth members average about $1 million a year in savings. Eckl notes that broad claims do not apply, “Every product and service is going to be different,” she says. “But we have found through numerous reports, awards, and applications from our members—especially in the operating room—there are tremendous savings by choosing more sustainable products and reusable products.” “An important thing to note: we encourage members to look at the total cost of ownership. Product purchasing decisions can be based on the purchase price or they can be based on costs, not only to buy, but also to use and to dispose. You can sometimes identify significant savings just by looking beyond the purchase price and that’s what makes an impact,” says Eckl.

The Business Case If a package upgrade decreases the total cost of ownership to health systems, it may be a justified upgrade to a medical device or pharmaceutical manufacturer.

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ENERGY SAVINGS

Compressed Air Measurement Helps Reduce Energy Use AARON HAND, EDITOR AT LARGE

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ENERGY SAVINGS TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Energy efficiency modules helped medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers tackle their environmental footprint.

2. Flow measurement has long been ignored. Analysis has shown that 20% of air consumption is wasted air.

here are all kinds of good reasons to save energy in your production facility. Aside from desires to reduce the environmental footprint of a plant (perhaps receiving a tax rebate in the process), saving energy also saves money. Using compressed air responsibly—through the use of Industry 4.0 technologies—is a good way to get started down that green path. Compressed air is a very common energy source for automation in the life sciences industry—used in particular to activate a wide range of valves and linear actuators in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), solution preparation, solid preparation, packaging automation, and more. It’s a clean source of energy that is readily available, powerful, and simple. It’s also a great place to look if you want to save energy. It takes significant electrical costs to generate compressed air, so managing the use of that compressed

3. Beyond money savings, flow measurement is providing predictive diagnostic capabilities, increasing uptime.

air can be instrumental in a plant’s overall energy consumption strategy. And it’s a common place for waste, where leaks often go undetected. “The reduction of energy is on everybody’s minds,” said Craig Correia, director of life sciences and process industries for Festo. Speaking recently at the virtual Festo Experience trade show along with Frank Latino, Festo’s global product manager for electric automation, Correia was looking to provide practical, tangible examples of how to reduce energy consumption with Industry 4.0 technologies.

Reducing environmental footprint He took a hard look at compressed air because it’s not uncommon for a plant to be wasting a lot of energy there. “On a system that’s

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running at 80 psi, if you’ve got a 1/16-inch hole, you will consume about 5 cfm through that leak,” he said. “Analysis has shown that 20% of air consumption is wasted air.” To combat this kind of wasted air in a pharmaceutical plant, Correia espoused the benefits of flow measurement. It’s an area that’s long been ignored, largely because of the inaccessibility of the technology. But measuring pressure without measuring flow in pneumatics, Correia said, is like trying to look at electricity by just measuring voltage and no current. “More than five years ago, flow sensing technology was either too large or too expensive, and people generally ignored it,” he said. “But it is critical. And the technology is at a point today where you can incorporate flow measurement today at a much lower price.” For one customer—a medical device manufacturer whose largest facility makes products for renal care—the driving goal was toward energy efficiency and the achievement of ISO 50001 energy management standards. Tax benefits totaling about $1 million were an added incentive, as was an internal competition to be the first plant to reach efficiency goals. Using a standalone installation concept that is well suited to brownfield installations, the manufacturer implemented Festo’s E2M series of energy efficiency modules in January 2019. The system provides automatic energy management, leakage detection, optimized system performance, and predictive maintenance. It senses both pressure and flow for compressed air, measuring the realtime flow rate and the volumetric consumption over a defined period.

↗ Festo’s E2M energy efficiency module measures both pressure and flow of compressed air. Festo

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The payback period from energy savings alone was less than a year, Correia commented. As an added benefit, “areas of inefficiency are identified continually, putting corrective actions in place,” he said.

The benefits of Industry 4.0 Besides the ability to find air leaks and gauge efficiency, flow measurement also provides predictive diagnostic capabilities. Pneumatic cylinders are consumable devices that will wear down over time. Flow measurement enables manufacturers to avoid catastrophic component failure with early detection of worn seals or defective connections. “If your equipment goes down, a technician has to go out and understand that the process is not completing,” Correia explained. “[They] spend time to diagnose the problem to determine that the cylinder has failed. How long will that take? Fifteen minutes? Two hours? Meanwhile, the equipment is down.”

When you see an increase in air consumption, you can not only improve efficiency by finding the air leak, but it could be a predictive indicator that a cylinder is leaking. “On my own time, I can go out and diagnose the equipment,” Correia pointed out. “It doesn’t have to be a complete shutdown.” The E2M energy monitoring system connects to the cloud through an IoT gateway. The data is sent to the Festo Cloud for processing, and from there can also be distributed to other cloud environments for further analysis. A cloud-based E2M dashboard focuses on both energy management and maintenance. Showing the overall health of the pneumatic system, the maintenance screen can show at a glance which element is out of tolerance, Latino said. In another case, a top biotech pharmaceutical company that provides production and research in vision care had as its goal a desire to find and utilize effective Industry 4.0 solutions. The approach there was less about how to save energy and more about

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ENERGY SAVINGS

“ON A SYSTEM THAT’S RUNNING AT 80 PSI, IF YOU’VE GOT A 1/16INCH HOLE, YOU WILL CONSUME ABOUT 5 CFM THROUGH THAT LEAK. ANALYSIS HAS SHOWN THAT 20% OF AIR CONSUMPTION IS WASTED AIR.” –Craig Correia, Festo

how to use Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve improved efficiencies. Their first priority was toward predictive diagnostics and uptime. So in that case, they used the change in air flow as a predictive indicator. This manufacturer was able to use a fully integrated installation, which enables the implementation of more features of the energy efficiency module. Data is available in the control system, and local dashboards and diagnostic data can be seen from any HMI, Latino mentioned. “The gateway sends the data to an MQTT broker, and it can be accessed from any dashboard,” he added. The system was just installed in March, so the pharma company will not have full results until later this year. But they are already seeing significant benefits in the reduction of unplanned shutdowns and well as the reduction of energy costs and environmental footprint. The Festo system also solves the Big Data challenge that many companies face, Correia said. “There’s no shortage of data; you can measure just about everything,” he said. “But how do you use that data to actively act on it? We simplify it. We show you here’s the baseline, and here’s how you act on it.”

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IOPP SALARY SURVEY

Packaging Pros Bullish on Security & Salary Despite Uncertainty MATT REYNOLDS, EDITOR, PACKAGING WORLD

s is the case for the year 2020 in general, the results of the Annual Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) Salary Survey represent a departure from the norm. Data collection was accomplished on the cusp of when the global pandemic began roll out, from January 23 through April 8 of 2020, coloring respondent’s attitudes and opinions on the future. The oft heard descriptors of uncertain, unprecedented, or challenging times may have drifted into the realm of the cliché by now, but uncertainty unavoidably crept into the survey response set. Remarkably, responses remain optimistic without many big shifts from previous years. Coronavirus and job security were frequently mentioned in qualitative responses from all participants (12% and 9% of responses, respectively). However, 71% of domestic respondents still expect to earn a higher salary in 2020, with 91% of those respondents expecting to earn anywhere from 1% to 10% more. Of course, we know this isn’t true of all businesses in the U.S. Shortly after data collection for this report, April unemployment had ballooned to nearly 15% across all industries. Even so, at the time of this writing in summer, an unexpectedly positive jobs report indicated that 2.5 million jobs were actually added in May, pushing unemployment down to 13.3% from a (hopefully) high water mark of 14.7%. This is thought to be largely on the backs of healthcare, with elective or non-urgent medical procedures being phased back in, and professions like dentistry opening doors. Regardless, packaging professionals appear quite insulated from other industries’ troubles, and those reporting that they are somewhat or very secure in their jobs actually added a percentage point over last year’s report, from 75% to 76% reflected this year. The conclusion? Packaging professionals appear to occupy rarified air in a bear market. Part of this is due to the verticals we serve. Fully a third of responses came from food and beverage manufactur-

ers, with an additional 17% in healthcare/pharma packaging. These are the very definition of essential industries. Still, not everyone fared equally. The following information will tease out trends and sentiments that we hope all packaging professionals find valuable, both as a prognosticator and as a benchmark for your own career.

Methodology/Year-Over-Year Comparisons Information illustrated in this report is derived from a survey conducted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), PMMI, and Packaging World from January 23 to April 7, 2020. Of the 1197 total responses, 201 responses reporting primary business outside of the U.S. were removed from the data set to avoid currency exchange and cultural variables, leaving a base of 996 highly qualified packaging professional respondents. Year-over-year comparisons are made many times throughout this report. However, only a portion of respondents reflected here are the same respondents as last year. As such, though similar, demographics are not identical. Commentary on yearover-year comparisons is intended to be in view of an evolving workforce, rather than a direct 1::1 comparison.

↑ The average salary was down slightly in 2019 (as reported in early 2020). Notably, this year’s survey respondents skewed older than in previous years. Those over 65 in age reported a relatively even salary distribution across all salary ranges, instead of the more typically high ranges you’d see in 45-54 and 55-64 cohorts. This influx of older respondents impacted the overall compensation. Overall, qualitative responses reflect optimism despite the year-over-year comparison.

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IOPP SALARY SURVEY

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IOPP SALARY SURVEY

↑ Likelihood to seek a new job has remained extremely constant since 2017, with only minor fluctuations of one or two percentage points despite disparate response data sets every year. Nearly half say they’re sticking around. Still, 7% are actively looking for a new job, up 2 percentage points over those doing so at this time last year.

OVERALL, THE HEALTH OF THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY IS STRONG....I EXPECT TO SEE HIGHER DEMANDS FOR PACKAGING PROFESSIONALS DUE TO MAJOR REGULATORY CHANGES COMING UP AT THE END OF 2020 AND 2023. SALARIES, RAISES, AND BONUSES WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. COMPANIES HAD TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEYMAKING ACCOMMODATIONS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES TO PROTECT THEM, WHICH CONSUMED MANY OF THE COMPANIES’ BUDGET AS IT WAS NOT PLANNED FOR. THESE FUNDS WILL UNFORTUNATELY COME FROM BUDGETED SALARY INCREASES. EMPLOYEES WILL BE HAPPY JUST TO HAVE A JOB AT THIS POINT.” – Aladin Alkhawam, Director Global Serialization, PAR Systems

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VIRTUAL REALITY

Part 2:

Sterile Manufacturing Training Gets Immersive with VR KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Limited training comes with hidden costs that crop up in product rejects, investigations, and more.

2. Virtual reality training is not a direct replacement for hands-on, on-the-job training and qualification.

OVID-19 has brought to light the importance of remote services for virtual FATs, troubleshooting, and more in manufacturing. With many pharmaceutical companies instituting travel bans to keep employees and operations safe, virtual reality (VR) training may bolster training efforts. Years before the pandemic, Quality Executive Partners, Inc. (QxP) set out to improve training, teaching the concepts of the process resulting in more well-rounded staff that can move to other machines and facilities. After extensive research, the management consulting firm, which specializes in compliance consulting for the life sciences industry, opted for VR and developed the Virtuosi training platform. Part 1 of this two-part series covered the choice to use VR and how a setup of a computer, hand devices, a headset, and a couple of sensors can immerse trainees in an environment to practice. In Part 2, we’ll delve into the hidden costs of mistakes and how VR can help some of the problems seen in common training scenarios. (For the full article, visit hcpgo.to/381.)

Principles vs. OJT training The goal with Virtuosi is to teach principles beyond operators gaining muscle memory for grabbing forceps, aseptic technique, and the like. “It’s not intended to tell you push button A, B, or C. It actually was a lot harder to make the VR environments widely applicable, as opposed to a very specific setup. VR is not a direct replacement for hands-on, on-the-job training and qualification, nor should it be,” notes Brian Duncan, chief operations officer at QxP. Once an operator goes through the Virtuosi episodes, the idea is that they will understand the founding principles that will enrich and accelerate their progression through hands-on training certification on a specific line or setup, significantly reducing the potential for human error or potential for negative impacts to classified environments. Further, trained staff will be more capable to move to

3. For companies with high deviation rates, learning the concepts can boost operators’ critical thinking.

a different area in the plant or a different job altogether—it doesn’t have to be the same machinery. A big training issue has come with the explosion of personalized medicine and gene therapies. “We talk to the big pharma companies and ask how they’re training their people for these products. They say, ‘We’re bringing in our best operators from our most advanced site to work in producing cell and gene therapies.’ But many times these employees are transitioning from working in isolators and highly automated environments,” says Duncan. Throwing operators into a BSC (biological safety cabinet) won’t be familiar—these are open processes based on scaled-up development. “There’s a lot of physical manipulation, open containers, and transfers, so it’s completely 180 degrees out of phase with how they’ve been trained classically,” he notes.

The hidden cost of limited training Operational budgets in pharmaceuticals are pretty tightly squeezed, and some companies may be worried about adding training expenses. But it’s important to acknowledge the (often hidden) embedded costs people call “the cost of doing business.” “Training budgets have become cut, and cut, and cut, and that’s the reason why it’s so focused on SOP transactional training,” Duncan says. It’s important to understand the blind spots in the costs of traditional training. In addition to helping new clients put together ROIs for their investment decisions, QxP also implements careful monitoring programs to gather metrics on these hidden costs. While plants budget for rejects and scrap, there are less-tangible costs that companies aren’t often good at quantifying or capturing. Major investigations, health authority observations, additional studies, unplanned shutdowns, and repeated validation exercises take staff time and money to address. “But even if you just look at the cost of rejected materials… we’re finding that most companies see Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 59

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an ROI of a two to three-year time frame or less due to reductions in human errors of 25% or greater.” As some companies install filling lines for training elsewhere in the facility, VR may be a more cost-effective option. “Typically this goes through a capital budget, not directly through the training budget, but the expense of adding a whole training line can be orders of magnitude more than VR training,” says Duncan. “It’s a matter of awareness of these costs, and how they reconcile the investment relative to the company. A filling line for training purposes and SMEs to train people incur a lot of embedded costs, and the plant footprint costs a lot.”

How Virtuosi works A company purchases a number of seats, with each seat representing a user. Because not every user needs all 31 episodes, training administration assigns episodes to the individual or to their job profile. The system is cloud-based, so staff can log in from their computer at work through a high-speed Internet connection, depending on how the company wants it configured. “They take the coursework on their own time, at their own pace. Even after they’ve taken all their curriculum, they can review any of a full library of specific topics,” explains Duncan. Learners go through the course episodes, and then when it’s time to practice what they’ve learned, the student will be prompted to go to a dedicated VR workstation, located on-premise at the facility. Once they’ve completed the VR interactive experience, a record is fed back to the cloud-based server giving credit for completion of that segment within the episode. Trainers build the curriculum, but they don’t have to be in the room watching somebody go through VR experiences. “It frees up the trainer and the SME. If you’re a company that’s hiring a lot of people at the same time, you can normalize everybody to the same knowledge and skill level, and then take them out into your manufacturing facility and do something more hands on, so they’re all pretty well aligned with concepts,” Duncan says. For companies with high deviation rates—lots of human errors or health authority observations—learning this material can boost critical thinking. Duncan says, “Critical thinking is something you see companies talk about all the time. ‘Our investigations aren’t great because people can’t think critically.’ But they can think critically, they just need to be better educated.” “Having consulted across a lot of companies, we have a significant inventory of baseline metrics. A lot of companies don’t come out and say, but the average human error rate in many pharmaceutical operations is 42% from what we’ve seen, which also matches pretty closely with other published data,” Duncan says. Some organizations have targets to reduce human errors. “When you have a metric target to reduce human errors, guess what? They

go down. But that may not always mean you’ve really fixed the underlying issues to preclude recurrence. You just might call it something different, because the underlying problem can present differently from one event to the next,” he laments. Companies get caught in a trap: they can’t simply say it’s a human error and offer a warning or awareness training. They go back and

Not Just a Shiny New Toy The pharmaceutical industry as a whole has lagged behind similar manufacturing industries in adopting new technologies and innovation in manufacturing. To address this, many companies decide they want to do something innovative, and it can lead to an exercise in “doing something in VR.” Duncan says that companies have to be careful not to fall for the shiny object, instead of what they’re trying to achieve and what VR can do to help with addressing real problems. Many times, companies partner with a VR firm—with no technical pharmaceutical experience—that can render their specific filling or packaging line in VR. They can mimic the setup or have something illuminate when a button is pressed, but typically these are still instructor-led, with somebody standing by to judge performance. With the Virtuosi platform, the coaching is multimodal with audio, visual, textual, and graphical interfaces. Operators get to learn and make their own mistakes at their own pace in a safe and private environment—without fear of embarrassment or judgement—where everyone is being trained to the same standards because they’re going through the exact same algorithms to ensure consistency. It also may be an answer to the ever-growing issue of distraction. “The great thing about VR, too, is that you’ll be getting instruction, and if you turn your head and look away from what we’re trying to demonstrate, the VR simulation pauses. So you can’t look at your cell phone in VR—you do have to pay attention,” Duncan says. ↘ Learners go through course episodes, and when it’s time to practice what they’ve learned, they will be prompted to visit a dedicated VR workstation located at the facility (such as the middle room below).

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revise the SOP. But human behavior is unique, and constant SOP change can lead to unwanted effects. Duncan recalls a scenario that he feels demonstrates the difference between training and education. A third-shift cleaning crew tech would clean small parts of equipment, tubing, etc. “There was one step in the cleaning process where the SOP said that the technician was to blow out the tubing (to get rid of any residual moisture to prevent microbial growth). However, when this particular operator wasn’t at work, he was in a band playing the tuba. Instead of using the compressed air system, he was blowing the tubing out with his mouth.” A weeks-long investigation for contamination—tracing it back to small parts, determining the shift, and reviewing video—found the root cause. “It said, ‘Blow out the tubing,’ and that’s what this person was doing,” Duncan says. He was reading the SOP, but didn’t understand the principles of contamination. Duncan explains, “I heard this several times in my career, and I always had an adverse reaction to it: dumbing down the SOP. Dumbing down the SOP reinforces rote thinking. VR provides vast improvement in learning, information recall, and skill development to a defined standard. “We’re seeing very clearly the need to move from a check-the-box, qualification-based training paradigm back

toward educating on principles and providing on-demand, experiential educational opportunities. Continuous learning models that are engaging, immediately relevant, and satisfying provide a far superior approach to addressing underlying problems. VR is also challenging companies to think differently about training.”

↑ A setup of a computer, hand devices, a headset, and a couple of sensors can immerse trainees in an environment to practice.

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PACKAGE INSPECTION

Study: Automatic Inspection for Lyophilized Drug Products in Valor Vials KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Companies tested whether Valor Glass could be incorporated into production lines without replacing current machinery.

2. Key was whether Valor Glass’ patented exterior coating would affect lighting and performance of automatic inspection machines.

3. The study found both uncoated and coated vials may be run with same machine setup with identical performance.

hile material developments can be exciting and full of potential for contamination. possibility, the reality is that sticking with what works— With a “Quality by Design” approach, Corning’s Valor vial was and what’s validated—is a very tempting proposition for specifically developed as a drop-in glass packaging solution that pharma manufacturers who question whether existing machinery minimizes many of these challenges. For example, Corning identiwill work with the new innovation. fied and solved for the root cause of delamination by developing a With Corning’s new Valor Glass, the company set out to ensure new glass composition that still meets the USP hydrolytic requirethat its new technology could exist as a “drop-in” solution, capa- ments for Type I pharmaceutical glass. In addition, Corning applied ble of being incorporated into production lines without replacing chemical strengthening that the company reports improves breakcurrent machinery or necessitating significant augmentations. age resistance and provides at least 30x protection against stable First, what is Valor Glass? Glass tech has largely remained the crack formation in laboratory testing. same for the last century, but Corning has developed a glass for Testing needed to be performed to confirm that Valor Glass’ vials that is more resistant to damage than conventional glass and patented exterior coating would not affect the lighting and perforwith a low coefficient of friction exterior coating. This is import- mance of automatic inspection machines (AIM). AIMs are utilized ant because: • Pharmaceutical filling lines process hundreds of conventional borosilicate vials a minute, creating glass-to-glass contact that can lead to scratches and breakage. • In addition to causing waste, this frictive contact can generate small glass particles that necessitate cleaning, resulting in costly manufacturing downtime. • Conventional borosilicate glass vials have a high coefficient of friction surface, increasing their predisposi↑ Corning developed Valor Glass for vials designed to be more resistant to damage than tion to jam. In this situation, operators conventional glass. Inspection was performed for both product and container defects utilizing may have to intervene, increasing the the Antares Vision Lyo-check automated inspection machine. 62 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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by numerous pharmaceutical companies throughout the world and are a key component to consistent and efficient inspections that improve output and reduce false rejects. Automated inspection machines require substantial investment, so retrofitting or replacing them might cause manufacturers to pause and consider financial implications before incorporating any new vial, regardless of the container’s advantages.

Inspection testing Corning approached Antares Vision, a global provider of inspection technology, and inquired whether the company could provide a machine capable of inspecting its new Valor vials and determining what effects, if any, the containers would have on inspection performance. Antares worked with Corning to create filled Valor vials with defects similar to those found in pharmaceutical operations for lyophilized drug products. Then inspection was performed for both product and container defects utilizing the Antares Vision Lyo-check automated inspection machine. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Valor vial exterior coating on the challenging automated inspection of lyophilized drug defects—particularly regarding lighting and vision requirements. Lyophilized products are deemed difficult to inspect due to variations in the quality and consistency of the “lyo cake,” and the ability of particles to hide within the dried powder; a lack of contrast adds to imaging challenges. • To minimize dimensional variability influence, Corning provided sized, matched, coated and uncoated small vials. The study was set up so that a sample set of “Good Vials” (coated and uncoated) was created with lyophilized product inside, with “no defects” present in the vial, stopper, crimp, or lyophilized cake. • A second set of “Defect Vials” was also created with lyophilized product containing the various lists of defects found in Table 1. Inspections consisted of typical methods performed in a pharmaceutical automated environment, at speeds up to 24,000 pcs/hour. The study was designed to determine if automated inspections are affected by the glass composition or coating on the vials. After creating the product and adding the specific defects, each sample was rubber stoppered under vacuum and an aluminum crimp

applied with cap, consistent with the quality deemed acceptable for typical sterile processing and capping operations for pharmaceutical manufacturers. As closely as possible, these samples and inspections were meant to align with automated inspections for GMP operations within an FDA-regulated environment. All defects were quantitatively and qualitatively known and recorded prior to inspection to verify their ability to be identified with regularity and consistency in an automated inspection machine. Antares Vision performed this testing in a new Horizon 2020 combination Lyo/Liquid VRI (Visual Rotating Inspection) machine, collecting all data regarding inspection cameras, lighting, and software inspection tools.

Creation of defects A group of 40 Valor vials, along with stoppers, were shipped to a third party specializing in creating realistic lyophilized products for inspection testing. This third party filled the vials to 1/3 of the volume and developed a formulation that fulfills all requirements of a stable lyo cake for long-term routine usage. The formulation was chosen to be very stable and resistant to the mechanical stresses found in manufacturing, so that the end-user may re-use the samples many times as challenge test kits, training manuals for inspectors, or as part of validation runs, to name a few examples. The third-party developer also created cosmetic defects in the glass, including scratches and chips to precise measurements. Test protocols typically call for cracks in the glass to be created and tested to see if they can be imaged. However, due to the unique Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 63

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PACKAGE INSPECTION

nature and properties of Valor Glass, the energy required to crack the glass resulted in full breakage (by design) of the vial structure; therefore, a cracked Valor vial was not an issue considered during inspection testing.

Inspection machine specifications at a glance • 18 different inspection points with unique camera and lighting design, including boomerang arms to capture more images • Electrical cabinet and control cabinet with HMI touch screen • Various reject stations including one for AQL Sample • Floating Carousel design to allow easy clean-up of spillage and broken glass

• Head Space Gas Analysis or optional Vacuum Leak test • Loading performed manually, directly from trays

Starwheels, guides, and changeover • Handling of glass vials smoothly performed by a minimum of screws, star wheels, and guides made of high-density POM-C • Star wheels and screws were driven by a brushless motor electrically geared with the carousel motor • Changeover for different container sizes could be done in 30 minutes without the need for any special tool

Inspection station optical set-ups Five inspection stations on the Lyo-Check were set up, encompassing inspection from above, bottom, and side, in addition to neck/shoulder and heel. All lights were LED strobes.

Test setup for the machine For the best comparison, identical optical setup was used to run both sample sets: the same intensity of light in back and front lighting and the same camera settings (gain, exposure time). As the companies report, “A concern with any coating is light scattering or anomalous light reflections due to the different types of glass/ coatings that can have negative impacts on the rate of defect detection. In this case, the machine was set up based on the uncoated glass to create a format for that product. After the uncoated set was run, there was no change to the system parameters and the coated Valor vial sample set was run. Images of both sets were collected, and the results were compared.” ↑ Sample images and quantitative histograms of mean grey levels of lighting show that the slight decrease in brightness (~15%) for the coated vial (left) over the uncoated vial (right) should not affect the sensitivity of defect detection.

↑ Five inspection stations were set up for inspection from above (shown here), bottom, and side, in addition to neck/shoulder and heel.

Key takeaways • The study found there were no significant differences in detecting similar defects in the two test kits, affirming that the same machine setup can be used for dimensionally matched uncoated and coated vials, and no light scattering or anomalous light reflection was observed due to the coating of Valor vials. • The Valor vial coating only appears in backlighting (a seldomused detection technology) when compared to the uncoated glass, which may slightly reduce the sensitivity of the system where contrast of defects is small. If running only Valor Glass, the system parameters can be adjusted to give the maximum contrast for that product. • The study confirmed there is potential for both uncoated and coated vials to be run with the same machine setup with identical performance. The sample images and quantitative histograms of mean grey levels of lighting (image, upper left) show that the slight decrease in brightness (~15%) for the coated vial over the uncoated vial should not affect the sensitivity of defect detection.

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CLINICAL TRIALS

CSL Behring Uses Specialty Label System to Blind Vials for Clinical Trials KEREN SOOKNE, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL CONTENT

ack in 2013, Wan et al noted in Blinding in Pharmacological covering the flip-off cap. As a result, the vial can be easily opened without impairing the blinding. Trials: The Devil is in the Details that inadequate blinding in pharmacological trials can lead to trial delays and increased The second cap covers the lower part and bottom of the container. costs, “and can also potentially place the entire trial at risk.” The multi-page Booklet-Label providing comprehensive product Cut to 2020—clinical trial packaging details remain critical. A descriptions in several languages retains both caps on the container. specialist in plasma-derived products, CSL Behring develops and The construction of the caps-plus-Booklet-Label is manually produces biopharmaceuticals for bleeding disorders, immunoglob- affixed using application aids, and can be flexibly adapted to diverse ulins and intensive-care medicine. The biotech company is conduct- vial sizes and shapes. The combination was designed to address ing an international Phase III study of a new immunoglobolin and is issues seen in some blinded trial packaging in which designs are relying on a novel label combination from Schreiner MediPharm, difficult to apply while easy to peel off. a Germany-based global provider of functional label solutions for the healthcare industry. CSL Behring is using transparent containers with a flip-off cap for the clinical trial. Schreiner MediPharm reports that due to visible differences between the verum and the placebo, the containers with the trial drugs must be blinded so trial participants cannot detect what they are taking, or what is being dispensed to them. In addition, the trial is being conducted on an international scale so product descriptions must be available in several languages. Schreiner MediPharm’s Clinical Trial Supplies (CTS) personnel developed a special version of the company’s Flexi-Cap film cap system that completely covers the vial, combined with a Booklet-Label for multilingual product information. For blinding the vials, two opaqueprinted, silver-colored film caps are used. One of the caps wraps around the closure ↑ The combination of Flexi-Cap and Booklet-Label blinds the vial and offers ample space for and upper part of the container without product information in several languages. Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 65

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Vial loading into trays, cartons and cases to deliver a

cases and cartons integrated with robotic palletiz-

fully integrated end of line solutions.

and more about ProMach at www.ProMachBuilt.com

ing systems including other ancillary equipment to complete the line. Robotic Sterilization Tray Handling Solutions Customized Robotic Tray Handling Solutions for Loading and Unloading Sterilization System and Material Handling Systems.

www.BrentonEngineering.com www.ProMachBuilt.com See our ad on select front covers of this issue.

68 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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connects November 9-13, 2020

Columbia Machine, Inc. | www.loadtransfer.net PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/128

The mission at Columbia Machine is to be the preferred supplier of engineered product solutions in the targeted markets we serve. We provide exceptional customer value through strategic marketing, innovative product development and unparalleled customer service. We value safety, integrity, trust,

Columbia Machine, Inc.

fairness, professionalism and teamwork in relationships with our customers, employees, business partners, suppliers

107 Grand Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98661

and shareholders. We “always” see our

PHONE 360.694.1501 EMAIL pallsales@colmac.com

business through “the eyes of our customers,” and provide them with superior

WEBSITE www.loadtransfer.net

solutions through innovation, quality, reliability and continuous improvement.

Reduce Contamination in Production Areas The Load Transfer Station (LTS) product line,

products that are packaged in cases, super sacks, glass vials, pails, barrels, drums and bags from

offered by Columbia Machine, helps to reduce

one pallet type to another, including Plastic,

contamination from entering production areas,

Chep and GMA pallets that are commonly used

streamlines operations & reduces costs. Columbia

in both receiving and shipping applications.

manufactures a complete line of pallet transfer solutions including stand-alone stations to fully automatic solutions that allow pallet load transfer

System Integration To ensure that all Columbia equipment works

to be completed in less than one minute, without

smoothly with upstream and downstream ma-

requiring the operator to leave the safety of the

chinery, complete systems integration services

forklift.

are available—including project management, controls, installation, wiring, commissioning and

Industry Leading Standard Safety Features Columbia Machine’s LTS solutions come standard

preventive maintenance plans. As a family-owned company with a total commitment to customers,

with the latest safety features. These include Category

employees and a long-term financial perspective,

3 electrical safety components, up- stacker guarding

Columbia is your premier partner for load transfer

with A-B SensaGuard RFID interlocked door switches,

solutions.

multiple emergency stops, and muted light curtains on the automated systems. Every Columbia Machine LTS

Columbia Machine, Inc.

has been engineered to exceed the requirements of

The Load Transfer Station (LTS) product line

pharmaceutical processors who are working to meet

is part of the Palletizer Division of Columbia Ma-

FSMA regulations.

chine, a leading American palletizer manufacturer. For more than 80 years, Columbia has manufac-

Flexible Product Handling Columbia’s LTS is capable of transferring

tured complete palletizing and material handling solutions.

www.loadtransfer.net See our ad on page 46 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 69

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CVC Technologies | www.cvcusa.com

November 9-13, 2020

CVC Technologies Inc.’s mission is to provide extraordinary value made possible by volume production and worldwide distribution, thus allowing modest pricing for

CVC Technologies

machinery that meets and exceeds industry standards.

10861 Business Drive, Fontana, CA 92337

For general questions or any additional

PHONE 877-282-7333 EMAIL North America: sales@cvcusa.com • International: sales@cvctechnologies.com

information about our products and

WEBSITE www.cvcusa.com

by e-mail.

CVC Technologies, Inc. has grown to be one

Thank you for your interest in CVC Technolo-

of the leading labeling and packaging equip-

gies Inc.’s product and services. We look forward

ment manufacturers in the world. Our US Head-

to the opportunity of serving you.

sales and manufacturing facilities in multiple

5 SIMPLE REASONS TO CHOOSE CVC

countries around the globe.

TECHNOLOGIES AS YOUR PACKAGING PARTNER • All CVC machinery is built to ‘stock’ providing

CVC Technologies Inc. is committed to one

Website cvcusa.com Parts Inquiries

quarters are located in Fontana, CA and we have

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS

services, please contact us via telephone or

greater repeatability and availability

nelsona@cvcusa.com Service Inquiries tscorcia@cvcusa.com

• CVC’s machinery is modular in design and

goal, helping our customers find the best pos-

can be easily expanded to meet increasing

Sales Inquiries

sible solution to their packaging needs. Quality,

production demand

North America: sales@cvcusa.com

Value, and Service are the parameters within which CVC defines its business philosophy. We commit to all CVC customers to supply excellent equipment and technical service to maximize their production efficiency, reduce operating costs and ensure quality products.

• CVC’s equipment is operator friendly holding

International: sales@cvctechnologies.com

5 US Patents for its setup software Self Set • CVC’s technical support, field service, and spare parts all originate from our Fontana, CA headquarters • CVC has a proven track record installing turnkey packaging systems in the US for over

CVC SERVICES

10 years

CVC Technologies Inc. provides Total One Source Responsibility meaning there is only one company to contact for all your packaging needs. CVC Technologies Inc. offers the following services as part of our standard offering: • Packaging Line Design • Factory Acceptance Testing • Installation, Startup, and Training • Free Technical Phone Support • Field Service and Preventative Maintenance

www.cvcusa.com See our ad on page 15 of this issue.

70 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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PREMIER SUPPLIERS Delta ModTech | www.deltamodtech.com DELTA MODTECH | www.deltamodtech.com connects November 9-13, 2020

PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/453

Our

This total manufacturing

MISSION

solution includes converting and heat seal pouching.

We deliver web converting and packaging systems for the most complex demanding jobs in the medical, pharmaceutical, label, RFID, electronics, automo-

Delta ModTech Delta ModTech

tive and cosmetic industries. Our systems We deliver web converting and packaging are designed to meet your application systems for the most complex demanding requirements, improve your profitability, jobs in the medical, pharmaceutical, label, and reduce your risk. RFID, electronics, automotive and cosmetic

11501 Eagle Street NW, Minneapolis, MN 55448 | PHONE: 800.279.3358 • 763.755.7744 11501 Eagle Street+ NW, Minneapolis, 55448 PHONE (EUROPE): 46 706 97 24 34 | MN WEBSITE : www.deltamodtech.com

PHONE 800.279.3358 • 763.755.7744 For over 30 years+Delta ModTech 46 706 97 24has 34 been PHONE (EUROPE)

• Reject conveyors/marking equipment

a leader www.deltamodtech.com in web converting and packaging WEBSITE

• Part handling Conveyors for: stacking, shingling,

innovation. We are dedicated to providing flex-

sorting, turning, etc.

ible solutions for converters and For automation over 30 years Delta ModTech has been manufacturers worldwide. and packaging a leader in web converting

•• Part Printing for date,Conveyors lot and bar for: codes - inkjet, thermal handling stacking, shintransfer, laser, etc. gling, sorting, turning, etc.

innovation. We are dedicated to providing Delta ModTech systems feature for a variety of processes flexible automation solutions converters and

•• Printing Case packing and cartoning for date, lot and bar codes - inkjet,

including 4 sideworldwide. seal pouching, rotary die cutting, laser manufacturers die cutting, multilayer lamination, sheeting, conveyors, Delta ModTech systems feature a variety of coating, drying and subsystem processes including 4 side sealintegration. pouching, rotary

die cutting, laser die cutting, multilayer laminaSealsheeting, to print registration tion, conveyors, coating, drying and

thermal transfer, laser, etc. Packaging and Pouching Machine Specifications • Case packing and cartoning •Packaging Max Web Width: 10” (254 mm), 13” (330Specifications mm), 18” and Pouching Machine (457Web mm),Width: Custom10” Widths • Max (254Available mm), 13” (330 mm), 18” •• (457 Max mm), speed Custom – Reciprocating 13” 80 ft/min WidthsPackager: Available

industries. Our systems are designed to meet Service and Support your application requirements, improve your Serving our customer’s has always been profitability, and reduce yourWe risk. Delta’s highest priority. focus on quick

efficient solutions to keep your machines Service andtoSupport running their full potential. To back up Serving our customer’s always this philosophy, we has have a full been service staff Delta’s highest priority. focus on on call, made up of We Engineers and Techniquick efficient solutions to keepknowledge your cians. We have the process and machines toto their full potential. provenrunning modules ensure the longevity of To your back up this philosophy, we have a full machine. service staff on call, made up of Engineers and Technicians. We have the processFOR EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS

The packaging solution for process applications where subsystem integration.

(24 m/min)*, 55 ft/min (16.75 m/min) *13” 80 ft/ • Max speed –18” Reciprocating Packager: • min Seal Repeat – Reciprocating Packager: 24” (609 mm)

speed, flexibility and consistent seal quality are important. Seal to print registration

•• (24 Unwind/Rewind Diameter: (76 mm)* m/min)*, 18”Mandrel 55 ft/min (16.753”m/min)

the longevity of your machine. Transdermals

The packaging solution For the manufacturing of: for process applica-

• Seal Repeat – Reciprocating standard, other sizes available Packager: 24” (609

tions speed, flexibility and consistent seal • where Heat-seal/Cold-seal pouches quality are important. For the manufacturing of: • Resealable pouches

• mm) Control System: Delta ModTech INTELLI-MOD™ • Unwind/Rewind control system Mandrel Diameter: 3” (76 mm)

knowledgeAand proven OF modules to ensure VARIETY PRODUCTS:

Diagnostics Delivery EQUIPMENTDrug SOLUTIONS FOR Electrodes A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS:

••Heat-seal/Cold-seal pouches Liquid dispense pouching ••Resealable pouches Sachet filling

other sizes available •• standard, Drive System: Servomotor Control • Control System: Delta ModTech INTELLI-MODTM • User Controls: Touchscreen HMI Pendant Arm

Ostomy Transdermals Wound Diagnostics Care

• Liquid dispense pouching

system •• control Footprint: 8’ x 6’ x 7.65’ (Packager Base Platform) • Drive System: Servomotor • Cabinet Construction: WeldedControl Steel Frame,

DrugPersonal Delivery care

• Sachetyour filling Improve capability with seamless integration Improve your capability with seamless We’ve developed several solutions to meet the packintegration age and pouching needs of our customers and their We’ve developed several solutions meet theto end users. Our experience with buildingtomachines

Ostomy

• Footprint: 8’ x 6’ x 7.65’ (Packager Base Platform) * Process Dependent Cabinet Construction: Welded Steel Frame,

Wound Care

• Aluminum Front PlateTechnology - Frontier packpouching of our customers meetage theand demands of theneeds most stringent specificaNow with Frontier Coating * Process Dependent and their end users. Our experience with buildtions will give you confidence in meeting your produc- designs and builds coating and drying equipment for ing machines tion goals. to meet the demands of the most batteries, capacitors, printed electronics, display compo-

Now with Frontier Coating Technology stringent specifications will give you confidence nents, transdermal drug delivery, test strips, fuel cells and Common options: Frontier designs and builds coating and dryin meeting your production goals. • Mod-Track® Vision Inspection – Part-in-pouch, closed more. Frontier coating and drying lines can be integrated ing equipment for batteries, capacitors, printed Common options: loop registration, date/bar code reading, rejecting in-line with Delta ModTech systems. electronics, display components, transdermal • Mod-Track® Vision Inspection – Part-in-pouch, closed loop registration, date/bar code reading,

drug delivery, test strips, fuel cells and more.

rejecting

Frontier coating and drying lines can be integrat-

• Reject conveyors/marking equipment Delta_Prem2020.indd 1

Electrodes

• User Controls: HMI Pendant Arm Aluminum FrontTouchscreen Plate

Personal care

www.deltamodtech.com See our ad on page xx of this issue

January/February 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 123

ed in-line with Delta ModTech systems.

www.deltamodtech.com

See our ad on page 97 of this issue. 1/30/20 10:33 AM

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 71

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ESS Technologies, Inc. | www.esstechnologies.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/267

President Kevin Browne Vice President Linda Browne Global Business Development Walter Langosch Southeast Regional Sales Manager Matt Kentfield Midwest-West Coast Regional Sales Manager

Mike Witowicz

Northeast Regional Sales Manager Chris Comeau

ESS Technologies, Inc.

Electrical Engineering Manager Michael Morgan

3160 State Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060

PHONE 540.961.5716

Mechanical Engineering Manager Paul Landers

FAX 540.961.5721

EMAIL info@esstechnologies.com

Founded in 1993 by Kevin and Linda

WEBSITE www.esstechnologies.com

Browne, ESS Technologies engineers and manufactures fillers/cappers, automated

ESS Technologies, Inc., founded in 1993, designs,

expandability. The end result is an ergonomic and

cartoners, case packers, and palletizers for

manufactures and installs automated packaging ma-

cost-effective production line that requires minimal

the Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Medical

chinery. ESS is an authorized FANUC America robotics

operator training and can be easily retrofitted for future

Device, Cosmetics, Nutraceuticals, and

system integrator and Strategic Relationship Partner

applications. ESS has expertise in the areas of project

Consumer Products industries.

for secondary packaging and palletizing systems.

engineering, project management, system integration,

ESS designs custom end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT) for

electrical design, mechanical design, robotic end-of-

ESS Technologies, Inc. defines corporate

integrated FANUC robots, which allows the precise

arm tooling, and more. As a system integrator, ESS

responsibility as action we take which pos-

handling of components and packaging materials. Our

Technologies handles every detail of packaging line

itively impacts our customers, employees,

full product line includes:

design, manufacture, and installation. ESS also offers

suppliers and the communities around our

packaging machinery with integrated serialization sys-

company, and which includes and goes

tems to meet pharmaceutical serialization mandates.

beyond our legal or regulatory obligations.

In this area, ESS has extensive experience integrating

We engage with business and non-business

• Horizontal Cartoners — up to 150cpm

our cartoners, case packers, and palletizers with serial-

interest groups alike to ensure that we fully

• Vertical Cartoners — up to 30cpm

ization systems, aggregation cameras, barcode readers,

understand their expectations of us and

• Top, Bottom and Side Load Case Packers —

and labelers from today’s industry leaders in off-the-

to ensure that our policies and programs

shelf serialization track and trace equipment.

address relevant issues.

• Fillers / Cappers, Inline or Monoblock — up to 120bpm

up to 22cpm • Wrap Around Case Packers — up to 30cpm • Robotic Pallet Cells — up to 40cpm

The ESS team has designed packaging lines for the fol-

• TaskMate Robotic Systems®

lowing industries: Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Medical Device, Cosmetics, Nutraceuticals, and Consumer

ESS engineers work with customers to understand

Products. Our robotic systems, cartoners, case packers,

the level of automation required, equipment speci-

and palletizers are engineered to meet all applicable

fications, OSHA requirements, flexibility, and future

standards and production requirements.

www.esstechnologies.com See our ad on page 6 of this issue.

72 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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Formost Fuji Corp. | www.formostfuji.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/147

First and Formost, we strive to put you the customer first. Meeting and exceeding your expectations is our gold standard. Whether it be in design, manufacturing,

Formost Fuji Corp.

or service you can expect Formost Fuji to deliver a solution you are proud of. Throughout 55 plus years in this business

19211 144th Avenue NE, Woodinville, WA 98072

our ideals have remained the same, build

PHONE 425.483.9090 425.486.5656 FAX

it right and deliver on time, all at a value to our customers.

WEBSITE www.formostfuji.com Our team of experienced people listen to As a market leader in flexible packaging, Formost

The Formost GTS Bagger provides perfor-

you, and understand your needs.

Fuji has been providing horizontal wrappers and

mance proven technology with speed, versatility

baggers that are EFFICIENT, RELIABLE, and SIM-

and dependability. Built to run up to 90 bags per

• Horizontal Wrappers

PLE to operate for over 55 years.

minute, it is ideal for gently bagging a wide range of

• Baggers

products including medical drapes.

• Automation Solutions • Special Applications

Our Horizontal Flow Pack Wrappers are built with the end-user in mind having an easy to oper-

Proven superior design and engineering are

ate HMI that includes graphics and step by step in-

combined with the latest technology to bring you

structions. The HMI can be customized for simplic-

the High-Speed Box Motion horizontal wrapper.

ity with icons or photos representing each product

Capable of packaging speeds up to 400 per minute

for a one touch changeover. This innovative flow

(application dependent), the high-speed box mo-

wrapper has a simple to thread film process that

tion wrapper boasts high efficiency, tight wrapping,

saves time and a shortened film route that saves

low vibration, and direct drive servos.

money. The center fin seal unit tilts down allowing easy access for sanitation and maintenance.

Formost Fuji provides sustainable, and efficient packaging solutions for the healthcare

B16 Box Motion End Seal Technology offers

industry. Items such as masks, IV bags, inhal-

four times the sealing pressure and longer dwell

ers, blister packs, syringes, tube sets, and many

time with improved design. This provides high

other medical and pharmaceutical products are

performance hermetic seals on difficult to seal films.

wrapped and bagged on performance proven Formost Fuji equipment.

The Swing Arm Rotary End Seal Option for Horizontal Wrappers provide increased dwell time

Visit our virtual booth at Pack Expo Connects,

and seal quality at high speeds, allowing flexibility

add us to your planner, and sign up for our Live

for a wide range of product and film sizes.

Demos.

www.formostfuji.com See our ad on page 21 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 73

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Formulated Solutions | www.FormulatedSolutions.com

November 9-13, 2020

”Formulated Solutions is and shall always be a company of people with the knowledge and dedication to provide our Marketing Partners, regardless of their size

Formulated Solutions

or marketplace, a single source solution for delivering quality and innovative products to market. We shall embrace changes and

11775 Starkey Road, Largo, FL 33773

new opportunities as a vehicle to contin-

PHONE 727.373.3970 EMAIL WebSales@formulatedsolutions.com

ually develop profitable and sustainable

WEBSITE www.FormulatedSolutions.com

accept anything less than a culture that

relationships. As a company we shall never fosters creativity, growth and profitability

Formulated Solutions is now known as one of

work alongside your in-house R&D, supply chain,

for both our Partners and the company.”

the most innovative contract manufacturing and

or marketing staff to develop that difficult to

formulation development companies (CDMO)

formulate/difficult to fill consumer health-

in North America. With over 600 million units

care solution. Our uniquely inventive thinking

offer you, and your customers, products

of annualized production capacity, Formulated

creates tremendous value for our brand partners

that other CDMOs simply can’t.

Solutions exists to enhance consumer health-

and makes us the ideal choice for full turnkey

care products through creativity and invention,

consumer healthcare CDMO solutions. Formu-

delivering our Marketing Partners unmatched

lated Solutions does not market any of its own

formulations, innovative packaging and cost-

products, nor manufacture store brands.

Our focus on innovation allows us to

effective reliable supply of semi-solids, Aerosols, Bag on Valve, and our exclusive eN2fusedTM

Industries Serviced:

WHIPPED dispensing platform.

Consumer Healthcare

These days every contact manufacturer

Branded Rx

claims to innovate. We’re different... We walk

Medical Device

the walk! Every year we commit 30% of our

OTC

research and development efforts to purely speculative development. Why? So that we stay

Our pharma-grade facilities and manufac-

on the cutting edge of consumer healthcare

turing equipment are impressive, but we are so

technologies, and are able to ensure that you,

much more than buildings and machines. We are

our brand partner, is in a perfect position to offer

your invested consumer-focused partner.

your customers differentiated products that they will love. We have a reputation for creative problem

We want to help you create game-changing innovations that will result in products your consumers love to use and will drive your bot-

solving. We open the doors no one else can.

tom line and our expert team of scientists and

Our expert team of scientists and engineers will

engineers stand ready to do so.

www.FormulatedSolutions.com See our ad on page 23 of this issue.

74 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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G&K - Vijuk International | www.guk-vijuk.com

November 9-13, 2020

World leader in outsert-producing machinery, G&K–Vijuk has been specializing in miniature-leaflet folding solutions for

G&K–VIJUK INTERNATIONAL

over 40 years. Member of the GUK Group headquartered in Germany (manufacturer of folding machinery since 1949), we continue to

715 Church Road, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126

assess the needs of the pharmaceutical

PHONE (630) 530-2203 EMAIL info@guk-vijuk.com

industry, as shown by recent developments in machinery to fold a greater number of

WEBSITE www.guk-vijuk.com

panels and fold wider sheets—both for more print space on a single leaflet—and

OPTIMIZE YOUR PACKAGING PRODUCTION

GUK RS Roll-Fed Folders, in line or off-line,

machinery for bundling leaflets for dispens-

GUK packaging-line equipment runs on the

offer economical leaflet production, as roll printing

ing even more information on two to four

packaging line’s drive or can be equipped to run

saves on paper, cutting, and labor costs—as well as

leaflets.

independently.

minimizing probability of leaflet mix-up.

GUK recently acquired MB Bäuerle, manufacturer of automated folding and

GUK in-line leaflet folders enable immediate insertion of leaflets into product cartons, along

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OUTSERT PRODUCTION

with the product. The NEW servo-driven GUK

The GUK FA73 Folder folds sheets up to 28-3/4

inserting systems in Germany, and Sigma Engineering, manufacturer of pick and

Cartonac 2005 has a hinged feeding table for easy

inch wide for larger med-guides with more copy

place product-handling machinery in the

access to the fold plates, rollers, and optional code

space. Provide even more print space on larger out-

Netherlands, to further our goal to provide

reader. Improved suction rollers and air blasts on

serts with up to 350 panels folded on a G&K–Vijuk

innovative, time-saving equipment to im-

the feeder table allow efficient feeding of sheets or

MV-11 Triple Knife Outsert System equipped with

prove our customers’ efficiency in providing

folded products—up to 3 panels thick. It is a simple

the new GUK FA53 24-plate Folder.

products and services for their customers.

upgrade from a Cartonac 91 or Cartonac 2000. The

Meet TRACK & TRACE requirements with the

Cartonac 2003DS is PLC controlled for quicker,

G&K–Vijuk CTM Coding and Serializing Station

easier setup, and has servo motors in the feeder and

on MV Outsert Systems. It prints industry standard

folder for better control and greater speed.

1- and 2-dimensional codes using black or UV inks.

The GUK–Sigma Pick & Place Station precisely

It includes a 3-camera system for verifying the

tips flat or 3-dimensional (and difficult-to-handle)

dimensional qualities of outserts as well as verifying

items onto products in production lines.

the printing and print quality of the codes. It logs all

GUK PA21 Leaflet Feeders feed inserts and

verification results.

outserts in-line for insertion into cartons, handling leaflets up to 8 mm thick, depending on the model.

Save time and labor with the GUK–Sigma PPM

The GUK PA15 Leaflet Feeder feeds leaflets, turned

Auto Stacker, which automatically collects outserts

90º, while mounted parallel to the packaging line

and packs them compactly into a tray. Full trays

www.guk-vijuk.com

to save space. The PA15 is also used with gluing

move out while new trays move in continuous

See our ad on page 7 of this issue.

or tabbing equipment in off-line leaflet/outsert

production.

bundling systems.

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Greydon | www.greydon.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/286

The heart of our focus has been primarily horizontal form, fill and seal packaging machine applications in the meat, cheese and dairy markets as well as the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Greydon’s scope continues to broaden with additional applications within this same core customer group. With each passing year, we have listened closely to our customers’ needs and developed our product line around them. Each generation of new equipment has produced improvements and innovations that result in finished products that we are very proud of.

Greydon

Greydon’s philosophy is to provide our customers with the latest, most reliable

391 Greendale Rd., York, PA 17403

appropriate technology for their particular

PHONE 717.848.3875 EMAIL Greydon@ProMachBuilt.com

application. We are made up of a dedicated team of hard working and caring individu-

WEBSITE www.greydon.com

als who operate in an environment which promotes openness, honesty, mutual

Greydon, established in 1993, delivers high quality, innovative printing systems for a wide

for product validation, tracking, identification,

respect and teamwork.

and branding.

variety of flexible packaging applications and materials. Greydon has developed inline and ret-

Their range of flexographic printers print

rofitted printing and coding solutions for form fill

directly onto your package. They are the perfect

and seal machines for medical device, pharma-

solution for printing nutritional facts, scannable

ceutical and food packagers. They offer standard

bar codes and total product information. These

and custom solutions across a full range of print

units retrofit onto all horizontal form fill and seal

technology; including digital printers, flexog-

packaging machinery such as Tiromat, Multivac,

raphic rotary printers, thermal transfer printers,

Hooper, Mahaffey & Harder, Rapid Pak and Dixie.

thermal inkjet printers and wet ink reciprocating imprinters.

Greydon is part of The Pro Mach Labeling & Coding Group, which includes well- known

Greydon’s new Genesis digital ink printing

brands such as EPI, Code Tech and ID Technology,

solution produces high definition output on

the leading supplier of printer/ applicators in the

most materials, including paper, Tyvek® and flex-

North American market.

ible webs using UV ink. Genesis prints complete graphics and variable coding information that

Pro Mach is a leading provider of integrat-

can be quickly and easily changed for different

ed packaging and processing products and

products and applications, a perfect solution for

solutions for food, beverage, consumer goods,

UDI compliance. Its innovative film handling and

pharmaceutical, and other diverse companies.

print system is patent pending. Genesis delivers ideal performance and return on investment for medical device and pharmaceutical manufactur-

www.greydon.com

ers who require high quality labeling and coding

See our ad on page 55 of this issue.

76 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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HERMA US, Inc. | www.herma.us

November 9-13, 2020

HERMA US, Inc. 39 Plymouth Street, Suite 300, Fairfield, NJ 07004

CEO Peter Goff

PHONE 973.521.7254 EMAIL info-usa@herma.com WEBSITE www.herma.us

HERMA US Inc. is a subsidiary of HERMA GmbH, a Germany-based provider of

Ultra-Compact Labeler for Small-batch & Biopharm

complexity. Here, the 362E’s user-friendliness, short set-

labeling machinery and self-adhesive labels

Production

up times, flexibility and speed become valuable assets to

and materials to the global packaging

The HERMA 211 HC Wrap-around Labeler is designed

versatile manufacturing practices. The 362E can label up

marketplace. HERMA GmbH’s comprehen-

to meet demand for a fully FDA-compliant labeler in a

to 200 products per minute on both front and back.

sive range of products spans the labeling production process to include labeling

highly compact footprint. The semi-automatic unit is particularly helpful in the transition from clinical trials to

Self-adjusting System for High-precision Top

machinery, a variety of adhesive materials,

full production, as well as for the smaller-batch manu-

Labeling

and finished self-adhesive products.

facturing typically found in biopharmaceuticals settings.

The HERMA 452E Top Labeler features a novel system

The HERMA 211 HC is suitable for labeling a wide range

that automatically adjusts on-product label position to

In the United States, HERMA is best known

of cylindrical products including syringes, tubes, glass

ensure tight tolerances, even with particularly challeng-

for its equipment. HERMA’s flexible label-

vials and ampoules. Capable of applying approximately

ing applications. With an output of up to 250 products

ing machines are designed, developed,

30 labels per minute, the HERMA 211 HC can handle

per minute, the aesthetics-minded 452E Top Labeler is

and built for integration into industrial

webs as wide as 80mm, and products ranging in diame-

ideally suited for applications in which final presenta-

processes, while its self-adhesive paper

ter from 10-120mm. The machine’s robust construction

tion and appearance is paramount. HERMA is the first

and film compounds are manufactured

makes it ideally suited to continuous operation, even

in the industry to introduce a self-adjusting system for

with unsurpassed precision. The compa-

under the most stringent labeling requirements.

tracking and automatically adjusting label position

ny’s range of finished adhesive products

in this type of application. The flexible setup can also

includes labels for a broad set of industries,

Fast, Flexible Labeling Machine for Ramped Up

compensate for production tolerances of labels and

including healthcare and pharmaceuticals,

Disinfectant Production

product packaging.

automotive and electrical, chemicals, food,

The HERMA 362E Labeler is a two-sided module capable

cosmetics and logistics. The company’s

of applying front and back or wraparound labels to a

Fastest-in-Class Wrap-Around Labeler Enhanced

three divisions comprise nearly 1,000

huge variety of products. The high throughput labeling

with Motion Control, Expedited Delivery

personnel.

machine is ideally suited for the ramp up of supplies,

A new higher-speed, motion control-enabled version

such as disinfectants, necessary to combat the COVID-19

of the HERMA 132M Wrap-around Labeler boasts

pandemic. With the production of disinfectants and

speeds of 400 products per minute. Available for deliv-

cleaning agents surging at manufacturing facilities

ery in an expedited 12-week timeframe, the machine

around the world, it becomes paramount that a crucial

features a rotating star wheel for precise product

production step – labeling – not become a bottleneck. It

transport. The HERMA 132M can be outfitted with a

is also important that production personnel faced with

wide range of printing and vision systems, and features

new lines and configurations in a short, emergency-re-

automatic rejection of out-of-specification labels

sponse timeframe not be overwhelmed by equipment

before they are applied.

www.herma.us See our ad on page 9 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 77

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James Alexander Corp. | www.james-alexander.com

November 9-13, 2020

James Alexander Corp.

CEO Francesca Fazzolari

845 Route 94 Blairstown, NJ 07825

PRESIDENT David Robinson

PHONE 908.362.9266 EMAIL info@james-alexander.com

Located in northern New Jersey, James

WEBSITE www.james-alexander.com

Alexander Corporation (JAC) is a leading contract manufacturer and custom filler

Stemming from an uptick in demand, James

gentle squeeze, the inner membrane ruptures,

of single-use crushable glass and plastic

Alexander Corp. is currently adding manufac-

allowing the contents to be dispensed by the

ampoules. Founded in 1976 by Francesca

turing space to its facility, a project scheduled

user. The plastic ampoule is available in sizes

Fazzolari and Alexander Davidson, JAC is a

for completion in Q2 2021. The expansion will

up to 5ml, as well as a range of colors and

privately-owned, ESOP company that still

provide additional capacity for servicing the

applicators.

services several of the same customers it originated with 45 years ago.

company’s key markets, including pharmaceutical (OTC & Rx), medical devices, health & beauty

Unit-Dose Glass Swabs

products, first aid and diagnostics.

James Alexander Corp.’s unit-dose swabs offer

James Alexander Corp.’s manufacturing

the stability of glass in one- or two-part systems

facility features unique, company-designed

James Alexander Corp.’s patented single-use

allowing for convenient application of pharma-

equipment and produces its patented

plastic ampoules, which have undergone a se-

ceuticals and health aids. JAC also produces sin-

plastic ampoules, among other product

ries of enhancements since their initial market

gle-use glass ampoules for inhalation and dropper

offerings. The company makes great efforts

introduction, are available in a variety of colors

tip assemblies for the dispensing of liquids.

to ensure that most of its components are made in the USA, aligning with its goal of

and with an array of applicators, offering singlehanded activation in a customizable format.

The DuoDispersion System® Tandem Package

investing in local communities, regional job

Meanwhile, the company’s glass ampoules can

James Alexander Corp.’s DuoDispersion System®

markets and the American manufacturing

be filled and assembled in single-use swab or

is a refinement to the company’s well-regarded

sector at large.

dropper packages.

tandem swab package. Safe and easy to use, the tandem dropper or swab can be customized to

The company also recently introduced a

hold two separate liquids, or a powder and a

winged device, “The Activator,” which provides

liquid; each individual formula is hermetically

easier activation for these glass formats. Other

sealed in its own ampoule. The DuoDisper-

services include autoclave sterilization for

sion System® can hold a combined volume of

glass ampoules, blister packaging and formula

1.2mls that are kept separate until the point of

compounding.

application. Two versions of the DuoDispersion System® are available: a dropper tip and a swab

Plastic Unit-Dose Dispensing Systems

for topical application.

James Alexander Corp.’s revolutionary plastic ampoule combines style and ease of use through single-handed activation. With just a

www.james-alexander.com See our ad on page 45 of this issue.

78 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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connects November 9-13, 2020

MULTIVAC, Inc. | us.multivac.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/180

MULTIVAC is the global leader in horizontal thermoform fill-seal packaging machinery. Our thermoform machines package a wide range of products efficiently and

MULTIVAC, Inc.

cost-effectively, including medical and pharmaceutical products, food products and industrial and consumer goods. Our product range is the broadest in terms of size, perfor-

11021 N Pomona Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64153

mance and equipment: compact machines

PHONE 800.800.8552 EMAIL muinc@multivac.com

for small volumes, high-speed machines for large volumes and specialized machines

WEBSITE us.multivac.com

for producing applications including FormShrink and MultiFreshTM packaging.

The thermoform packaging machines with

Sensitivity

The worldwide MULTIVAC organization is

The innovative machine concept allows the

comprised of more than seventy sub- sidi-

sensitive pharmaceutical and biotech products,

process area to be strictly separate from the ma-

ary companies serving countries on every

such as combination packs, pre-fill syringes,

chine equipment. Transparent enclosures with

continent.

ampoules, vials and injectors. This machine

large-area doors guard against direct access and

concept separates the process area and machine

environmental influences. At the same time, they

the most advanced packaging machinery

equipment from each other to the greatest pos-

provide perfect visibility and cleanability.

is available to medical and pharmaceuti-

MULTIVAC Clean DesignTM are solutions for

cal, food, consumer and industrial product

sible extent. This GMPcompliant machine design supports reliable line clearance. Furthermore,

Additionally, MULTIVAC agencies ensure

Process reliability

manufacturers virtually anywhere in the

the machine is characterized by high flexibility

The thermoform packaging machines with

world. No matter where a MULTIVAC ma-

in terms of the packaging materials being pro-

MULTIVAC Clean Design™ are equipped with the

chine is purchased and installed, our sales

cessed. Simple, quick and reproducible format

proven MULTIVAC IPC control to guarantee reli-

and technical service professionals are com-

changes also make the machine attractive for

able and reproducible packaging outcomes. The

mitted to helping our customers achieve

small and medium-sized batches.

aim of the design in all machines with MULTIVAC

their goals with the world’s most innovative

Clean Design™ is maximum visibility and the

and reliable packaging solutions.

Flexibility

avoidance of cross contamination.

The thermoform packaging machines with

Accordingly, particular emphasis was placed

MULTIVAC Clean DesignTM provide a high level

on a machine design with the following features:

of flexibility in terms of formats, packaging materials and modified atmosphere packaging. The quick conversion of the machine, even for

• Strict separation between the product processing area and the machine technology area

small batch sizes, can be achieved by a simple

• Visibility of all process-related machine areas

format change.

• Deflector plates in the inside of the machine • Widest possible avoidance of hidden voids

Modular construction The modular construction makes a high level of flexibility possible in the machine design.

• Minimum gap dimensions • Cable and pipe work routing in enclosed ducts us.multivac.com See our ad on page 31 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 79

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NJM Packaging | www.NJMPackaging.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/119

NJM is a world-class supplier of packaging systems for solid-dose and liquid pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals

NJM Courser® 230 Vial/Syringe Labeler

Full Line Integration

and more. We design, manufacture and provide line integration services, backed by exceptional support and over 100 years of customer success. As part of the ProMach Pharma Solutions family, NJM is exhibiting at the PE Connects 2020 Virtual Trade Show. Some of the machines we will demo by video: • Courser 230 – a compact, dual-purpose labeler that handles both vials / syringes; • Complete Turnkey Solid Dose Line Integration – build and install turnkey systems

Cremer CFS-622*4 Tablet Counter

Dara Filling/Closing for Vials in Nest

at the customer’s plant and offer in-plant training documentation, and validation support;

NJM Packaging

• Beltorque – a hi-speed, in-line capper that rivals the throughput of complex rotary cappers but with simpler mechanics, faster

5600 Kieran, Montreal, QC H4S 2B5 Canada

changeovers and gentler handling;

PHONE 800.811.6990 EMAIL info@NJMPackaging.com

• Cremer CFS-622*4 – a modular tablet counter and filler integrated with CountSafe

WEBSITE NJMPackaging.com

inspection and ejection systems; • Dara Pharmaceutical Packaging - aseptic allows us to supply quality packaging line equipment

filling and closing solution for syringes, vials

Pharma Business Line, who is a trusted automated

from other leading manufacturers, providing fully

and cartridges in nest. Ready-to-use dispos-

packaging systems manufacturer, integrator, and support

integrated lines and serialization solutions. NJM provides

able syringes provide security, hygiene and

resource. We offer a broad range of technology, specializ-

custom design build, engineering and research and de-

dosing accuracy for medical injections. Be-

ing in the needs of packagers in these industries:

velopment capabilities through the ProMach Innovation

yond pharma and biopharma, our customers

Center (PMIC). Our equipment and services include:

include food, beverage, chemical, personal

NJM Packaging is a ProMach product brand in the

Pharmaceutical

care product and cosmetic manufacturers

Biotechnology

Integration

Nutraceutical

Unscramblers

Vitamin

Tablet Counters

how our packaging solutions can transform

Personal Care

Aseptic Filling/Stoppering/Capping

your operations and be sure to add NJM’s

Cottoners

PE.SHOW/119 to your Show Planner.

For over 100 years, NJM has been the proven pack-

and contract packers. Explore our online exhibitor page to learn

Cappers

aging systems resource, unmatched for the innovation

Labelers

and quality of our equipment manufacturing, solid dose

Print & Apply

solutions, expertise in labeling, complete line integration,

Inspection

and truly exceptional support. We are a one-stop pack-

Serialization

aging solutions source offering expert knowledge and experience from the earliest stages of planning through

By offering both stand-alone solutions and integrated

implementation and production. Our deep understand-

systems, we have grown the reputation and trust of our

ing of the entire production line, processes, and logistics

customers.

www.NJMPackaging.com See our ad on page 5 of this issue.

80 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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OSSID | www.ossid.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/182

Our mission at Ossid, LLC is to provide our customers with cost-effective packaging and labeling solutions. Ossid works to give our customers a complete flexible

OSSID

packaging solution. Providing customers with excellent service nationwide, we can respond quickly to customers experienc-

4000 College Rd, Battleboro, NC 27809

ing downtime needs and offer preventive

PHONE 1-800-334-8369 • 1-252-446-6177 EMAIL ossid@promachbuilt.com

maintenance programs to reduce overall downtime concerns. Our goal is to build

WEBSITE www.ossid.com

long term relationships with our customers. Our committed sales, service and after-

Ossid provides customizable flexible packaging for healthcare and is the industry leader

machine design offers multiple stations for

market parts department work collectively

efficient and consistent output.

to quickly and effectively assist customers with their needs.

for leak-resistant tray sealing for case-ready products, horizontal thermoform, fill and seal

Our comprehensive customer service pro-

As part of the ProMach Flexibles & Trays

equipment, weigh/price labeling equipment and

gram, including service technicians, parts and

business line, Ossid helps our packaging

case scales.

training teams know how to help you keep your

customers protect and grow the reputation

equipment running at maximum efficiency.

and trust of their consumers. ProMach

Ossid helps its packaging customers protect and

offers end to end capabilities nearly every-

within the medical device industry, Ossid’s line of

grow the reputation and trust of their consum-

where on the packaging line. ProMach can

medical form fill seal (FFS) machines are custom

ers. ProMach is performance, and the proof is in

offer solutions for any customer project

engineered to meet operators’ exact product

every package.

or application needs by providing best in

To meet the wide variety of packaging needs

class stand-alone equipment from industry

specifications and regulatory requirements. Ossid’s medical machines are versatile; packaging

The Pack Expo Connects virtual demonstration

leading product brands, partial line integra-

both flexible and rigid medical package types,

on Ossid’s medical packaging form fill seal machin-

tions, and complete large multi-brand com-

and are built in accordance with the AMI sanitary

ery titled, “Highly Customizable Medical Form Fill

plete turnkey packaging line integrations.

principles. In addition to medical devices, Ossid’s

Seal Packaging Equipment,” is scheduled for 10:30

FFS machines are ideal for packaging medical

a.m. CDT, Monday, Nov. 9 and 11:45 a.m. CDT,

and dental kitting, disinfectants, pharmaceuticals

Wednesday, Nov. 11.

ProMach is performance, and the proof is in every package.

and other products. To see the complete list of product demonOssid medical machines offer many additional

strations and learn how Ossid’s equipment

features and benefits including an auto web

can help streamline your packaging line to

aligner, static eliminator, hinged upper tooling,

operate more efficiently and ecologically,

servo actuated presses, and a more robust

visit Ossid’s virtual showroom at https://PE.

framework and guarding package. The unique

show/182.

www.ossid.com See our ad on pages 52 and 53 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 81

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Packworld USA | www.PackworldUSA.com

November 9-13, 2020

From the start, Packworld USA’s sole mission has been to redefine conventional impulse heat sealing by employing the advanced, Variable Resistance Controlled (VRC), TOSS Technology in every machine it builds. Today our entire company is committed to the design and engineering of precision VRC heat sealing machines that

Packworld USA

are fully validatable and capable of producing “Perfect Seals...Every Time”.

539 South Main Street, Nazareth, PA 18064

Our entire team is driven by Packworld

PHONE 610.746.2765 EMAIL info@packworldusa.com

core values: quality, trust, honesty, integrity,

WEBSITE www.PackworldUSA.com

nerships,andastrivingfor excellence.

Packworld USA offers a complete line of preci-

respect for the individual, teamwork,part-

With TOSS technology, there is no need to

Added all together, Packworld USA has

sion controlled heat sealing equipment engineered

worry about thermocouples that don’t stay in

quickly become one of the most recog-

with the advanced TOSS Technology – The Opti-

place, burned up thermocouples, or the inherent

nized brands of heat sealing machines

mum Sealing System. Designed specifically for to-

inconsistencies of thermocouple controls. With

in today’s medical device, biotech, and

day’s medical device, bio-tech, and pharmaceutical

Packworld and TOSS, customers are assured of

pharmaceutical markets.

markets, Packworld machines produce validatable,

consistent, repeatable seals from one machine to

repeatable seals on all types of medical pouches

another as well as from the first pouch to the last.

and related polymeric products. To complement

Packworld USA has continued to expand on its

their line of straight bar heat sealers, Packworld

TOSS Touchscreen line of machines. The various

also offers machines equipped with Vacuum &

series in the line now includes the PW3300,

Purge and Seal & Cut capabilities for a variety of

PW3400, PW4400, and PW5500. All of these new

materials and pouch shapes. High temperature

series provide graphical display of time/tem-

applications (over 300°C) can be accommodated.

perature/pressure, password protection, recipe

Unlike conventional impulse heat sealers that

storage, data logging and built–in multiple point

attempt to use thermocouples to control the

temperature calibration. Machines are able to run

temperature of the heat seal band, all Packworld

in 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with the Touch-

machines are equipped with the advanced TOSS

screen controls.

Technology which relies on Variable Resistance

Along with its full line of validatable pouch seal-

Control (VRC) of the heating element itself. Similar

ers, Packworld USA also specializes in the design

to an RTD which measures temperature via a

and manufacturing of custom heatseal tooling for

change in resistance, TOSS Technology VRC mea-

applications requiring contoured shaped heating

sures and controls the resistance of the heat seal

elements.

band to deliver precise temperature control over

We are so confident in the quality of our ma-

the entire length and width of the heat seal band

chines that Packworld USA’s entire line is backed

up to 500°C.

with a 30 month warranty.

www.PackworldUSA.com See our ad on the Inside Front Cover of this issue.

82 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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PAXXUS | www.PAXXUS.com

November 9-13, 2020

VISION: Improving the quality of life – now and for future generations – through engineered flexible materials

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: DHUANNE DODRILL CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: DOUG DODRILL MANAGING DIRECTOR, PAXXUS ASIA: EDDY CHAN MANAGING DIRECTOR,

PAXXUS

PAXXUS EUROPE: CIARAN FOLEY

AMERICAS 320 South Stewart Avenue, Addison, IL 60101 ASIA 9 Tuas Avenue 4 | Singapore 639365 EUROPE Ballyvourney | Macroom | County Cork P12 PX72 | Ireland PHONE +1 630.628.1700

WEBSITE www.PAXXUS.com

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, VP OF SALES & MARKETING: DWANE HAHN VP OF RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY:

PAXXUS is a leading supplier of flexible packaging

capabilities, and expanded global reach. As a vertically

for the global healthcare market. Resulting from the

integrated manufacturer, PAXXUS provides tailored

merger of Rollprint Packaging Products based in the

material structures to meet your specific packaging re-

USA, Alliantz Flexible Packaging based in Singapore,

quirements. Constantly innovating, PAXXUS has been

and EuroFoil Teo based in Ireland, PAXXUS focuses

recognized and awarded for developing cutting-edge

on supporting the complex regulatory requirements

technology in clear high-barrier films, aluminum foil

of the medical device, pharmaceutical, diagnostic,

composites, peelable solutions, and chemically-re-

and life sciences industries across the globe. PAXXUS

sistant materials. Manufacturing capabilities include

showcases the same agility and responsiveness of

blown film extrusion, adhesive lamination, solution

each former company, with the added benefits of im-

coating, extrusion lamination/coating, converting of

proved business continuity, enhanced manufacturing

pre- formed pouches, and flexographic printing.

HENK BLOM

www.PAXXUS.com Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 83

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Pharmaworks LLC | www.pharmaworks.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/211

Pharmaworks was founded in 2002 on the principles of flexibility, customer support, and innovation. In 2020, we were acquired by ProMach as part of the Pharma Business Line. We set ourselves apart from other OEMs in that we not only sell our line of blister

Pharmaworks LLC, a ProMach product brand

machines and equipment, but we also rebuild and build tooling for other OEM brand equipment. This uniquely positions Pharmaworks to be a full-service provider for our packaging customers. Be sure to add Pharmaworks to your Show Planner at PE Show Booth/211.

2346 Success Dr., Odessa, FL 33556-3430

PHONE (727) 232-8200 EMAIL info@pharmaworks.com WEBSITE www.pharmaworks.com Pharmaworks offers turnkey pharmaceutical

Our clients include companies across a variety of

blister packaging production lines including

industry sectors including:

but not limited to blister packaging machines, tooling, feeding systems, cartoners, product and

· Pharmaceutical

print vision systems.

· Medical/ Medical Device

As part of the ProMach Pharma Solutions family, Pharmaworks is exhibiting at the Pack Expo Connects 2020 Virtual Trade Show.

· Nutraceutical · Personal Care · Consumer Products

Below are some of the machines we will be highlighting via live demos: · TF1e Blister · TF1pro our NEW Blister Machine · TF2 Blister · TF3 Blister · BlisterMate · Scanware Vision System · Ci6 Cartoner

www.pharmaworks.com See our ad on page 11 of this issue.

84 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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ProSys Servo Filling Systems | www.prosysfill.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/114

ProSys Servo Filling Systems 422 E. Fountain Rd., Webb City, MO 64870

Building Quality, Integrity & Value In Our Team, With Our Customers, and in The Equipment We Design, Build & Deliver. • Tool-free Release System for Simple

PHONE 417.673.5551 EMAIL info@prosysfill.com

Changeovers

WEBSITE www.prosysfill.com

• “Digital Readout Indicators” for Fast & Accurate Adjustments

ProSys is a premier manufacturer of manual,

Squeeze Tube Filling Machinesspeeds from 15 to 300 per minute.

• On-line Service & Support

and Rigid Containers. A global supplier of filling

Syringe Filling Machines-

• Recipe Storage & Recall

equipment since 1985 with U.S. sales, manufac-

speeds from 20 to 300 per minute.

semiautomatic and fully automatic equipment for filling Cartridges, Squeeze Tubes, Syringes

• Creams, Lotions & Viscous Pastes to

turing and customer service facilities located in Southwest Missouri.

Airless Pump Filling Machines-

3 Million Centipoise

speeds from 15 to 300 per minute. GLOBAL INSTALLS

• Designed & Built in the U.S.A.

• Pharmaceutical

Cartridge Filling Machines-

• Cosmetic

speeds from 10 to 250 per minute.

• Chemical • Adhesive

Custom Filling Systems

• Sealant • Grease • Food

FEATURES & BENEFITS • Turnkey & Custom Designs Air-Free Filling

FLEXIBLE COMBINATION FILLING SYSTEMS • Plastic & Metal Tube Filling Systems

• Vertical Bottom Up Filling Color Mix Solutions

• Tube & Airless Pump Filling Systems

• Drum & Pail Presses

• Tube & Cartridge Filling Systems

• SERVO Solutions

• 10, 14 & 30 oz. Cartridge Filling Systems

• Explosion Proof Controls (Class 1 Division 1&2, ATEX 0&1)

www.prosysfill.com See our ad on page 61 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 85

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Schreiner MediPharm | www.schreiner-medipharm.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/489

Schreiner MediPharm is a global leader

Schreiner MediPharm, A business unit of Schreiner Group LP

in the development and manufacture of innovative specialty labels with value-added benefits that have set the standard in the highly demanding healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Schreiner MediPharm’s expertise is based on over 65 years of

300 Corporate Drive, Suite 10, Blauvelt, NY 10913

experience as a high quality supplier and

PHONE 845.848.9000 EMAIL info@schreiner-medipharm.com

reliable partner to the biggest names in the healthcare market. Schreiner MediPharm

WEBSITE www.schreiner-medipharm.com

has its world headquarters in Oberschleissheim, near Munich, Germany, and U.S.

Reliable End-to-end RFID Functionality

clear, irreversible first-opening indication. The solution’s

headquarters in Blauvelt, New York, 30 miles

Robust RFID-Label features an integrated RFID tag

complex construction includes a tear strip through both

from New York City.

secured via the label’s special construction, avoiding

film cap and label that, when opened at the starter tab,

damage to RFID chips due, for example, to mechanical

simultaneously destroys both cap and label, rendering

Schreiner MediPharm develops and pro-

impact during manufacturing or handling. This assures

undetected container reuse nearly impossible.

duces customer-specific, intelligent labeling solutions with value-added functions that

RFID chip performance from production to final use – Covert-Hologram Seal for Tamper Protection

simplify the dispensing and administering

Covert-Hologram Seal offers reliable tamper evidence,

of pharmaceuticals to enhance safety and

Tamper-evident Security for Luer-lock Syringes

plus counterfeiting protection. The solution presents as

reduce process costs. The company’s prod-

Cap-Lock is a combination of cap adapter and label

a transparent, inconspicuous packaging seal. But when

ucts include specialty peel-off labels; labels

that firmly seals prefilled syringes for reliable first open-

opened, a hologram emerges showing inscriptions and

with integrated hangers; multi-page labels;

ing indication. The specially constructed plastic cap

design elements in various colors. The holographic ef-

brand protection and RFID solutions; and

adapter is positioned atop a syringe’s primary closure

fect is irreversible, so the seal’s fully transparent original

functional syringe labels.

to equalize any difference in diameter between syringe

condition cannot be restored.

especially on round containers with narrow radii.

body and closure. A label with integrated perforation for tamper evidence wraps around the syringe body

Multi-functional Features for

and bottom part of the cap adapter.

Autoinjector-Labels Schreiner MediPharm offers customizable features for

Needle-Trap Safety Device

its Autoinjector-Labels, including irreversible first-open-

Needle-Trap features a safety mechanism incorpo-

ing indication with anti-recapping functionality. An

rated into a self-adhesive syringe label – allowing

integrated NFC chip offers interactive user support and

needles to be safely secured after use. The cost-effi-

clear digital indication of label opening.

cient solution suits existing dispensing systems and uses standard secondary packaging. Detachable label

Smart Blister Enhances Medication Adherence

parts, graduation and counterfeit protection features

Schreiner MediPharm has developed a smart blister

also can be integrated.

pack to enhance medication adherence by clinical trial participants. When patients push tablets from the pack,

Label & Cap Concept for First Opening Indication

real-time data such as medication type, extraction

Flex-Cap Prime is a label-cap combination that helps pre-

time and specific cavity is stored and transmitted to a

vent the illegal reuse of original drug containers through

database via smartphone app or reader.

www.schreiner-medipharm.com See our ad on the Back Cover of this issue.

86 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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Sonoco TEQ | www.teqnow.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/309

GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING Todd McDonald

Sonoco TEQ

TEQ’s global teams have expertise in some of the latest techniques and sustainable materials available. We can offer our customers the best packaging results and

11320 East Main Street Huntley, IL 60142

the shortest lead-times in the industry.

PHONE 800-874-7113 EMAIL info@teqnow.com

Experts in both pharmaceutical and sterile medical packaging, TEQ has what it takes to

WEBSITE www.teqnow.com

consistently meet the unique demands of this industry. We are dedicated to quality,

TEQ, a Sonoco company, is a custom thermoformer

Packaging or products

which means we’ll do anything we need to

who delivers innovative and sustainable design,

TEQ has a large portfolio of products to offer customers.

ensure the safe and efficient manufacturing

engineering and manufacturing solutions to the

Our highly skilled 11607 trained business development

of any thermoformed plastic or fiber part

medical, pharmaceutical and commercial markets.

teams help customers develop custom retail packaging,

you need.

Now that TEQ is a part of Sonoco Healthcare, and

medical packaging or thermoform medical devices.

paired with Sonoco Alloyd as a medical heat-sealing

With many of our facilities being ISO 13485 certified,

manufacturer and Thermosafe as a leading provider

TEQ has been the top choice for any medical and

of temperature assurance packaging, we are able to

pharmaceutical companies with challenging projects,

leverage these multiple technologies to the health-

whether it be thermoform “packaging” or a thermoform

care market.

“product”. From laboratory products to medical instrument covers, TEQ has been trusted by our customers to

Global Manufacturing to meet your needs

deliver their products to their customers.

At the heart of the TEQ business is a global team of experts driven by one passion—to exceed our

Plastic or Fiber

customers’ expectations in everything we do. Our

Our commitment to sustainability has been the driver

team can deliver from any of our state-of-the-art

in developing many of our products. At TEQ, we

cleanrooms in the US, UK, or Poland with exacting

understand that for patient safety, plastic is usually

quality control standards. We help our customers

the best solution. But for those times when particulate

develop their projects locally from concept to

may not affect safety, we ask our customers to consider

production. From there, we can then help produce

our molded fiber packaging option, Fibrepak. These

products in any of our redundant manufacturing

smooth sided, thin walled molded pulp packaging op-

locations in order to produce a project wherever it

tions were developed to help provide more sustainable

is needed.

and recyclable products and packaging solutions.

www.teqnow.com See our ad on page 19 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 87

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connects November 9-13, 2020

Starview Packaging Machinery, Inc. | www.starview.net PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/277

The owners, management, and staff of Starview are dedicated to designing and manufacturing packaging machines in

Starview Packaging Machinery, Inc.

North America with the highest quality fit, and finish backed up with industry leading customer service. Starview’s directive is to produce a full

1840 St. Regis Blvd, Dorval, Quebec H9P 1H6 Canada

PHONE 888.278.5555 EMAIL sales@starview.net

range of sealing machines for medical de-

WEBSITE www.starview.net

and retail high visibility packaging. We offer

vice packaging, pharmaceutical packaging standard machines with an array of custom and pre-designed options to provide our tinuously exceed our customer’s needs and

clients with machines to match their man-

leading manufacturer of packaging machinery

expectations. Our distinct competitive advan-

ufacturing requirements. Starview offers to

for highvisibility packaging with over 25 years

tage is in providing a complete range of both

design, manufacture, and integrate many

of supplying standard and custom packaging

standard and customized quality packaging

value- added features including materials

systems to our customers and distributors.

systems backed by solid machine designs, robust

verification, custom automation, and robot-

machine construction, and superior service.

ics for its clients.

Starview Packaging Machinery, Inc. is the

Providing the Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Industry with innovative packaging machines for:

Starview offers many value-added features for our machines such as product sensing, printing

• Medical Device Packaging

and/ or verification, hydro-pneumatic cold seal

• Pharmaceutical Packaging

presses, robotic product loading, automatic

• Blister & Clamshell Packaging

packaging materials loading, automatic inline

• Customized Packaging Equipment

fold-over, finished package unloading with reject

• Systems with Automation and

feature for non-compliant packages, RFID tooling

• Integration

identification and all-electric machine models.

We design, engineer, and manufacture a com-

Additional features can include process

prehensive line of manual, semi-automatic, and

controls for third party validation, direct access

automatic sealing machines. Available in shuttle,

with on-screen adjustments for critical value

rotary, carousel, and inline conveyor configura-

calibration, and an ethernet connection for

tions, a variety of standard and custom sealing

real-time data acquisition. Quick-change mech-

areas are available to meet the specific require-

anisms for tooling sets, on-screen sealing press

ments of customers and maximize productivity.

adjustments, machine performance tracking, and

Machines are configured to suit the specific

ANSI Class 4 safety make Starview machines an

application such as retail-carded packages, ster-

excellent choice.

ile medical device packages, or pharmaceutical wallet packages.

Machines are offered worldwide through a network of Authorized Distributors who provide

With over a century of combined experience, Starview’s management team strives to con-

sales and service as well as the packaging materials used in conjunction with our machines.

www.starview.net See our ad on page 38 of this issue.

88 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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Stevanato Group | www.stevanatogroup.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/527

We are committed to creating systems, processes and services that guarantee the integrity of medicines.

Stevanato Group

We are fully committed to the best, objective-focused partner in the research and

41, University Drive, Newtown, PA 18940 US

delivery of innovative solutions to support

PHONE 267 757 - 8747

the success of our customers.

EMAIL dave.lamarca@stevanatogroup.com And we never stand still.

WEBSITE www.stevanatogroup.com Established in 1949, Stevanato Group is the

As a global player in the industry, we blend our

In fact, it is our continuous innovation and

world’s largest, privately-owned designer and

70-year expertise and your needs to support you

pioneering of new trends in pharmaceutical

producer of glass primary packaging for the

all the way from clinical trials to high volume

glass packaging, technologies, and manufac-

pharmaceutical industry. From its outset, the

production with our manufacturing solutions,

turing equipment that ensure we produce

Group has developed its own glass converting

comprising vision inspection machines, assembly

advanced solutions year after year, enhancing

technology to ensure the highest standards

systems, packaging and end-of-line equipment.

the level of product integrity that can be

of quality. The Group comprises a wide set of

Stevanato Group’s wide range of capabilities

guaranteed to patients and always seeking to

capabilities dedicated to serving the biophar-

provide an unparalleled advantage for building

exceed customer expectations.

maceutical and diagnostic industries: from glass

out end-to-end solutions, all from one source,

containers with its historical brand Ompi, to

for different inspection requirements and drug

high-precision plastic diagnostic and medical

delivery device projects.

components, to contract manufacturing for drug delivery devices, to vision inspection systems,

With an holistic problem-solving approach, we

assembly and packaging equipment.

unlock the potential of your business, delivering high-yield solutions designed and manufactured

The Group also provides analytical and testing

to reduce downtimes and increase OEE.

services to study container closure integrity and integration into drug delivery devices, streamlin-

We operate out of US offices for local pre- and

ing the drug development process. Thanks to its

after-sales support; contact us today.

unique approach as a one-stop-shop, Stevanato Group is able to offer an unprecedented set of integrated solutions to pharma and healthcare companies for a faster time to market and a reduced total cost of ownership. www.stevanatogroup.com See our ad on page 41 of this issue. Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 89

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connects November 9-13, 2020

Syntegon Technology | www.syntegon.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/307 • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/306

Syntegon offers processing and packaging solutions for a better life. For more than 50 years, Syntegon has been providing complete solutions for the pharmaceutical and food industries. More than 6,100 employees at 30 locations in more than 15 countries generated a total revenue of 1.3 billion euros in 2019.

Syntegon Technology

The portfolio of intelligent and sustainable technologies includes stand-alone machines, as well as complete systems and

8700 Wyoming Ave., N, Minneapolis, MN 55445-1836

services. Fields of application in the phar-

PHONE 763.424.4700

maceutical industry are the production,

EMAIL info-mip@syntegon.com

processing, filling, inspection and packag-

WEBSITE www.syntegon.com

ing of liquid and solid pharmaceuticals (e.g. syringes and capsules). In the food industry,

In demanding times like the Covid-19 pandemic,

This line competence is rounded off by advanced

the portfolio includes process technology

Syntegon is more determined than ever to im-

inspection technology, like Syntegon’s AIM 3000

for confectionery as well as packaging

prove the lives of patients by offering pharma-

series, which utilizes high-resolution CMOS cam-

solutions for dry foods, frozen foods and

ceutical manufacturers intelligent and efficient

eras with high-speed interfaces to detect particles

dairy products.

solutions, including customer services and digital

and cosmetic container defect, while an optional

solutions. At Pack Expo Connects, Syntegon show-

module offers 100 % Container Closure Integrity

cases its latest developments and expertise in a

Testing (CCIT).

Visit Syntegon’s Virtual Showrooms: Syntegon Technology Services, LLC:

series of videos and Q&As. When it comes to Oral Solid Dosage forms, For example, Syntegon has developed the ideal

Syntegon shows the TPR 500 tablet press, which

solution for the use of its SVP process system for

combines high productivity and quality with

the production of potential Covid-19 vaccines. The

usability. Its hygienic design reduces maintenance

equipment from the modular construction kit is

and cleaning requirements and offers fast and

available for delivery within a short time and can

easy changeovers.

https://pe.show/306 Syntegon Pharma Technology: https://pe.show/307

be ramped-up immediately. Syntegon’s medical device packaging solution Solutions for liquid pharmaceutical filling that

handles products safely thanks to the integrated

range from small and micro batch sizes to

FANUC robot arm. The products are protected by

high-performance machines include the MLD

locked guards until they are fed into the Pack 202

cartridge filling equipment. Combined with more

flow wrapper.

than 25 years of experience in isolator technology,

Syntegon offers everything from a single source,

Syntegon also presents the remote service assis-

including bio-decontamination and air-han-

tant – a hands-free solution that enables remotely

dling technology as well as the qualification and

located experts to guide maintenance technicians

validation.

using augmented reality.

www.syntegon.com See our ad on page 22 of this issue.

90 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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PREMIER SUPPLIERS

UHLMANN PACKAGING SYSTEMS LP | www.uhlmannpackaging.com PREMIER SUPPLIERS

UHLMANN PACKAGING SYSTEMS LP | www.uhlmannpackaging.com connects

Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP | www.uhlmannpackaging.com

November 9-13, 2020

Our

MISSION Our MISSION IBC 150 Integrated Bottle Center

BLU 200 | C200 Blister-Cartoner Line for Syringes & Vials

Uhlmann Packaging Systems is the world’s

IBC 150 Integrated Bottle Center Uhlmann Packaging Systems is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality pack-

BLU 200 | C200 Blister-Cartoner Line for Syringes & Vials

Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP

leading manufacturer of high-quality packaging machinery for the pharmaceutical industry. Equipment includes: aging machinery for the pharmaceutical Uhlmann Packaging Systems is the world’s • Blister machines, from compact models industry. Equipment includes: leading manufacturer of high-quality pack-

44 Indian Lane East, Towaco, NJ 07082 | PHONE: 973.402.8855 | FAX: 973.316.9330

to complete, full-featured, high-speed

• Blister compact models agingmachines, machineryfrom for the pharmaceutical blister lines toindustry. complete, full-featured, high-speed Equipment • Cartoning systems forincludes: blister, bottle,

EMAIL: info@uhlmann-usa.com | WEBSITE: www.uhlmannpackaging.com 44 Indian Lane East, Towaco, NJ 07082 44 Indian Lane East, Towaco, NJ 07082 | PHONE: 973.402.8855 | FAX: 973.316.9330 973.402.8855 PHONE Designed for small to medium-sized batches of New BLU 200 |info@uhlmann-usa.com C 200 Blister-Cartoner Line EMAIL: | WEBSITE: www.uhlmannpackaging.com EMAIL info@uhlmann-usa.com

blister linesand • Blister machines, pouch, vial kits from compact models bottling lines •• Integrated Cartoning systemsfull-featured, for blister, bottle, to complete, high-speed

for syringes, vials, and ampoules Uhlmann’s

solid dose products, the bottling line combines

200 | C 200 +Blister-Cartoner new BLUNew 200 BLU Blister Machine C 200 Cartoner Line

DesignedLabeler for smallL180 to medium-sized batches with Uhlmann’s and end-of-line Case of

WEBSITE www.uhlmannpackaging.com

solidCenter dose products, the bottling line combines vials, and ampoules Uhlmann’s Packaging 10 for comprehensive, bottleprovidesfor thesyringes, ideal mid-speed solution for the Designed for small to medium-sized batches New BLU 200 | C 200 Blister-Cartoner Line

Uhlmann’s Labelerthe L180 and end-of-line Case new BLU 200 Blister Machine + C 200 Cartoner topalletwith packaging. secondary packaging of liquid doseampoules products such of solid dose products, bottling line combines for syringes, vials, and Uhlmann’s Packaging Center 10 for comprehensive, bottleprovides the ideal mid-speed solution for the with Uhlmann’s Labeler L180 and end-of-line Case new BLU 200 Blister Machine + C 200 Cartoner as syringes, vials, ampoules, cartridges and bottles. Packaging Center foriscomprehensive, the solution for the packaging. packaging of liquidproduct dose products such The IBCtopallet 150 Bottling Line10 also equipped withbottle to The BLUsecondary 200provides ensures safeideal andmid-speed gentle pallet packaging. secondary packaging of liquid dose and products syringes, vials, cartridges an end-to-end bottle tracking system to combat handlingasthroughout theampoules, entire packaging process.bottles. The IBC 150 Bottling Line also is equipped such as syringes, vials, ampoules, cartridges and The IBC 150 Line alsoreliability. is equipped with The BLU 200 ensures safe and gentle product counterfeiting andBottling ensure product Unrivaled safety functions protect against heat, bottles. The BLU 200 ensures safe and gentle

with an end-to-end bottle tracking system to

an end-to-end bottle tracking system to combat handling throughout the process. breakage, orproduct mix-ups for eventhroughout theentire mostpackaging susceptible combat counterfeiting and ensure product handling the entire packagcounterfeiting andmeters ensureinproduct Unrivaled safety functions protect against heat, Measuring less than five length, reliability. the line products. Capable of producing and filling 200 protect reliability. ing process. Unrivaled safety functions

breakage, mix-ups even the most Measuring less than five meters in length, againstor heat, breakage, or mix-ups forsusceptible even theintegrates bottle transport, counting modules and the blisters per minute with the Cfor 200 matching the Measuring less than five meters in length, line products. Capable of producing and filling 200 line integrates bottle transport, counting modmost susceptible products. Capable of producing same speed for carton presentations up to 8 inches an automatic capping unit. It operates up to 20 the and per filling 200 blisters perCminute with thethe C 200 blisters minute with the 200 matching

ules and an automatic capping unit.modules It operates integrates bottle transport, counting and

percent more efficiently than a solution made up of in size. Go to market with improved efficiency and to 20 percent moreunit. efficiently thanup a solution matching thecarton same presentations speed for carton anupautomatic capping It operates to 20 same speed for uppresentato 8 inches separatemade components, and handles bottles ranging reduced costs with the BLU 200 | C 200. up of separate components, and handles tions up to 8 inches in size. Go to market with in size. Go to market with improved efficiency and percent more efficiently than a solution made up of from 25 to 125mm. Micro-stops and bottles ranging in diameter from 25 to 125mm improved efficiency and reduced costs with thein diameter separate components, and handles bottles ranging reduced costs with the BLU 200 | C 200. Micro-stops and ramp-up phases are eliminatBLU 200 | C 200. Other highlights from Uhlmann’s machinery ramp-up phases are eliminated, a format-free bottle ined, diameter from 25 to 125mm. Micro-stops and a format-free bottle transport transport guarantees continuous productguarantees flow, and portfolio include: Other highlights from Uhlmann’s machinery ramp-up phases are eliminated, format-free bottle continuous product flow, and aatouchscreen HMI Other highlights from Uhlmann’s machinery a touchscreen HMI provides intuitive operation. provides intuitive operation. portfolio include: portfolio include: transport guarantees continuous product flow, and IBC 150 Integrated Bottling Center sets market IBC 150 Integrated Bottling Center sets a touchscreen HMI provides intuitive operation. Cremer Speciaalmachines part of the Uhlmann standard for monoblock design Cremer Speciaalmachines part of the market standard for monoblock design IBC 150 Integrated Bottling Center sets market Uhlmann’s IBC 150 Bottling Line features fast, companies Uhlmann Group of companies Uhlmann’s IBC 150 Bottling Line features fast, Group of standard for monoblock design Cremer Speciaalmachines part of the Uhlmann (Uhlmann is the recognized simple format changeovers, simple format changeovers, short setupshort times,setup times, Cremer Cremer (Uhlmann Group) Group) is the recognized world Uhlmann’s IBC 150 Bottling Line features fast, Group of companies world leader in electronic and and optimally linked stations integrated into and optimally linked stations integrated into its leader in electronic counting andcounting packaging Cremer (Uhlmann Group) is the recognized world simple format changeovers, short setup times, packaging systems, and the newest member its monoblock line architecture. Additionally, systems, and the newest member of the Uhlmann monoblock line architecture. Additionally, Uhlmann’s andUhlmann’s optimally linked stations integrated into itsline is leader electronic counting andother packaging of theinUhlmann Group. Among notable fully integrated IBC 150 bottling Group. Among other notable machines, the Cremer fully integrated IBC 150 bottling line iscustomizable compact, and easmachines, 622x4 of electronic compact,line easy to operate,Additionally, systems, andthe theCremer newestCFS member the Uhlmann monoblock architecture. Uhlmann’s electronic counting system. Both easy to operate, customizable and easily adapted counting system. Both Cremer’s CFS and CFICremer adapted to orline packet desiccantsCFS 622x4 fullyily integrated IBCrun 150canister bottling is compact, Group. Among other notable machines, the accurate, 100% electronic counting systems at maximum 150 bpm while providing Cremer‘s to run canister or packet desiccants at maximum Cremer’s CFS and CFI accurate, 100% electronic are CFS 622x4 electronic counting system. Both easy to operate, customizable and easily adapted sold by Uhlmann Packaging Systems throughrenowned 100% tablet and capsule counting 150 bpmtowhile providing Cremer‘s renowned 100% counting systems sold Uhlmann Packaging Cremer’s CFSare and CFIby accurate, 100% electronic run canister or packet desiccants at maximum accuracy.

out North America.

tablet and counting accuracy. Systems throughout North 150capsule bpm while providing Cremer‘s renowned 100% counting systems areAmerica. sold by Uhlmann Packaging tablet and capsule counting accuracy.

Systems throughout North America.

• Casepackers, overwrappers, bundlers, pouch, vial and kits blister lines and palletizers

• Cartoning systems • Integrated bottling linesfor blister, bottle, • System engineering and line integration

pouch, vial and kits • Casepackers, overwrappers, bundlers, • Machine rebuilds, retrofits, and up-

• palletizers Integrated linesequipment and grades as well as bottling pre-owned

• Casepackers, overwrappers, bundlers, •• Validation System engineering and line integration and training service, including Topman training and palletizers • Machine rebuilds, retrofits, and up• Inspection systems, peripheral products • System engineering and line integration

grades as well as pre-owned equipment

& services • Machine rebuilds, retrofits, and up-

• Validation and training service, includ• Custom-designed tools & format parts grades as well as pre-owned equipment ing Topman training

From its northern NJ-based U.S. head-

• Validation and training service, includ-

• Inspection systems, peripheral products quarters, Uhlmann provides sales support, ing Topmanon-site training service technicians, training, parts & services

• Inspection systems, products inventory, tool manufacturing, rebuiltparts • Custom-designed tools &peripheral format

machinery, and onsite engineering for line & services From its northern NJ-based U.S. headquarintegrations. The company’stools 600,000-sq.ft. • Custom-designed & format parts ters, Uhlmann provides sales support, service world headquarters is located in Laupheim, From its northern NJ-based U.S. headquartechnicians, Germany. on-site training, parts inventory, ters, Uhlmann provides sales support, service tool manufacturing, rebuilt ma-chinery, and technicians, on-site training, parts inventory, onsite engineering for line integrations. The tool manufacturing, rebuilt ma-chinery, and company’s 600,000-sq.-ft. world headquaronsite engineering for line integrations. The ters is located in Laupheim, Germany. company’s 600,000-sq.-ft. world headquar-

ters is located in Laupheim, Germany.

www.uhlmannpackaging.com www.uhlmannpackaging.com Seeour ourad adon on page page xx 26 of of this this issue issue. See

www.uhlmannpackaging.com

See our ad on page xx of this issue Sept/Oct • Healthcare Packaging | 91 January/February 2020 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 123 January/February 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 123

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Weber Packaging Solutions, Inc. | www.weberpackaging.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/126

Weber Packaging Solutions, Inc. 711 West Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005

PHONE 800.843.4242 EMAIL info@weberpackaging.com

Since 1932, Weber Packaging Solutions’ sole focus has been the development and

WEBSITE www.weberpackaging.com

improvement of labels, labeling and coding solutions. And we believe that focus has

Weber Packaging Solutions, an ISO2001:2015 certified company, is an experienced innovator in meeting the needs of the healthcare industry. We provide the latest in pressure-sensitive labels, labeling systems and continuous ink jet systems

messaging using on-press laser etch or UV

enabled us to thoroughly understand the

inkjet

needs of our customers.

• Sequential, back-of-liner numbering for superiorinventory control • ISO 9001-registered, with label manufac-

Weber’s Corporate Mission Statement asserts that our success derives from helping our customers grow. Further, our

and back them with a nationwide network of

turing processes that can assist your cGMP

commitment is to bring technologies to

direct sales, service, and technical support.

compliance to 21 CFR Subpart G (Packaging &

market that improve packaging auto-

Labels

Label Control)

mation, product identification and brand

Weber understands that the healthcare industry requires unequaled quality, consistency and

Labeling Systems Weber Packaging Solutions also manufactures

recognition. To underscore those efforts, we have assembled a team that is agile,

traceability in its labels. We demand the same of

a complete line of labeling equipment for the

creative, responsive and conscientious

our products and our processes, ensuring that

in-line printing and affixing of pressure-sensitive

toward our customers, our community and

your insistence on the highest-quality standards

labels. We offer a broad selection of automatic

our environment.

will be met.

label applicators that rapidly apply decorative,

Our wide-ranging label converting and printing capabilities are too numerous to detail here, but here’s a sampling that’s particularly germane to the healthcare industry:

us to become a knowledgeable partner to

and packages.

the healthcare industry.

In addition, we design and build an exclusive selection of label printer-applicators. These

• Vision inspection systems both on-press and

self-contained systems combine high-resolution

post-press that ensure superior label quality

print engines with automatic label applicators to

• Label adhesives, topcoats, and inks compati-

print and apply labels that help you comply with

ble with autoclave, ETO, gamma, and e-beam

UDI regulations.

sterilization processes

Ink Jet Coding Systems

• Expanded-text, multi-ply label construc-

Weber has a complete line of small-character

tions that handle the growing demand for

continuous ink jet and high-resolution thermal

increased text

ink jet systems available for high-speed, reliable

• Intricate label die-cutting capabilities and

coding on almost all substrates. Our BestCode

adhesive zone-coating to permit one-step

and Markoprint ink jet coders are affordable

labeling for product kit combinations and

and easy to use. These systems are the best way

recordkeeping

to print dynamic variable information like lot

• In-line, variable code dating, bar coding, and

We believe that our Mission has helped

pressure-sensitive labels to all types of products

codes/date codes on packages or bottles.

www.weberpackaging.com See our ad on page 42 of this issue.

92 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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Weiler Engineering, Inc. | www.weilerengineering.com

November 9-13, 2020

INNOVATION DRIVEN BY SCIENCE! FACTS:

Weiler Engineering, Inc.

• Recognized as an advanced aseptic technology by the USFDA • 60 years serving global markets • Experience gained from 25 years operat-

1395 Gateway Drive, Elgin, IL 60124

ing a captive pharmaceutical CMO

PHONE 847.697.4900 FAX 847.697.4915

• Close operation with regulatory authori-

WEBSITE www.weilerengineering.com

• Quality + Operational Know- how +

ties – compliance is key! Integrity

Weiler Engineering, Inc., a leading provider of

system are provided as standard equipment for

aseptic custom Blow/Fill/Seal liquid packaging

each machine configuration. Each machine is

equipment for pharmaceutical and healthcare ap-

also equipped with a HEPA air shower to ensure a

plications, is committed to the highest standards

Class 100 environment under dynamic conditions

of excellence and to further expanding products

in the nozzle shroud area.

and systems to enhance patient care. Weiler’s pro-

Weiler’s latest innovation is the NEW compact

GOALS: • Focus on the science of the technology for maximum customer benefit • Simplicity of design to maximize product flexibility and minimize footprint

prietary ASEP-TECH® B/F/S packaging machines

ASEP- TECH® LAB+ Blow/Fill/Seal machine, which

• Optimum service support throughout

produce shatterproof, durable, aseptically- pack-

is ideal for Stability and Clinical batches for phar-

the markets we serve = high customer

aged products in one uninterrupted operation.

maceutical products and/or small development

satisfaction!

This hands-free manufacturing process ensures

batches using advanced aseptic technology. This

that parenterals, ophthalmic solutions, and

revolutionary small footprint design focuses on

respiratory drugs reach the marketplace sterile, in

ease of changeover and product range flexibility

the most cost-effective manner possible - every

The versatile ASEP-TECH® LAB+ machine features

time. The ASEP-TECH® System is the culmination

servo-driven motion controls and a modular

of 60 years of innovation in machine design and

platform that offers options such as Single-Use

sterile process development, producing the

Technology (SUT) or conventional Clean-in-Place

most advanced aseptic liquid packaging process

(ClP) and Steam-in-Place (SIP) technologies, a new

machinery available today.

patent pending Grade A filling zone and Particu-

The Weiler design incorporates the threestep process of blow molding, aseptic filling,

late Matter Removal (PMR) system. ASEP-TECH® Blow/Fill/Seal machines are proudly

and hermetic sealing of liquid products in one

manufactured in the USA, designed and built by

sequential operation on a compact machine

Weiler Engineering, Inc. in a 140,000 ft2, state-of-

frame. Weiler’s patented electronically controlled

the- art manufacturing plant. Weiler’s manufactur-

fill system, automatic sterilization system with

ing facilities and corporate offices are conveniently

www.weilerengineering.com

integral data collection, and filter integrity test

located near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

See our ad on page 13 of this issue.

Sept/Oct 2020 • Healthcare Packaging | 93

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WLS | www.WeilerLS.com PE CONNECTS VIRTUAL BOOTH: HTTPS://PE.SHOW/164

About WLS Weiler Labeling Systems is an industry-leading designer and manufacturer

Autonomy™ Digital Label Printer

HR Labeler

of high-speed rotary and in-line labeling machines and serialization and coding solutions for the pharmaceutical and medical packaging markets as well as the food, beverage, personal care, and consumer markets. With three decades of experience in providing labeling, coding, inspection, and precision-manufactured systems, WLS is at the forefront of delivering customized solutions backed by a culture of unwaver-

VR-72 Labeler

RL-420 Labeler

WLS

ing customer care. As part of the ProMach Pharma business line, WLS helps our packaging customers protect and grow the reputation and trust of their consumers. ProMach is performance, and the proof is in every package.

1256 N. Church Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057, USA

PHONE 1-856-273-3377 EMAIL WeilerLS@ProMachBuilt.com

Learn more about WLS at WeilerLS.com

WEBSITE WeilerLS.com

Visit Our PACK EXPO Connects As part of ProMach, Weiler Labeling Systems

WLS also supplies the following equipment and

Virtual Showroom at

(WLS) has been designing, manufacturing,

services:

https://PE.SHOW/164

integrating and supporting some of the most sophisticated and advanced pressure sensitive

•

Label coding or digital printing platforms

labeling solutions in the marketplace. Our clients

•

Serialization and product code association on a labeler

include companies across the following sectors: •

Bright-stocking platforms

•

Pharmaceutical

•

Integration

•

Medical

•

Complete documentation services

•

Nutraceutical

•

Household and Personal Care Products

•

Food and Beverages

(i.e. DDS, FAT, IQ/OQ)

WLS has long been known as a manufacturer of the industry’s most robust and sophisticated labeling systems. With more than 450 active machine installations worldwide, WLS has one of the most extensive field support networks in the industry built around an unwavering service-driven culture. In addition, WLS also offers an industry-leading two-year warranty.

WeilerLS.com Add WLS to MyConnectsPlanner https://PE.SHOW/164

94 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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NEW PRODUCTS

1 Laser-Marked Desiccant Canisters Airnov Healthcare Packaging + Laser-marked sorbent and desiccant canisters designed to reduce risk of contamination by eliminating print/paper labels, ink, or glue + Capable of precise imagery/text and marking on both sides; 1-gram drop-in-style canisters; reduced environmental footprint; for pharmaceuticals/nutraceuticals

2 Recyclable PE-Based Tubes with Flip-Top Caps Hoffmann Neopac + Fully recyclable polyethylene-based (PE) tubes with HDPE flip-top caps; also available with screw-top; suited to health & beauty, pharma, and more + Mono-material tube and cap combination overcomes functionality hurdle for typical PP hinged caps

3 Drug Deactivation Pouches Verde Technologies + Deterra plant-based pouches use proprietary molecular adsorption technology to deactivate leftover medications using activated carbon + Designed to reduce drug abuse and environmental impact by keeping potent pharmaceuticals out of watershed and landfills

4 Palletizing Robot Yaskawa America, Inc. + Offering a 500-kg payload, PL500 robot is suited to a variety of palletizing applications, unitized loads, and other tasks for end-of-line or distribution automation + Features fast axis speeds and acceleration for high throughput; handles full layers or a variety of product including boxes, bags, bottles, and cases

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NEW PRODUCTS

5 Cleanroom Robot

9 Extra Wide Heat Shrink Tunnel

ABB

Deitz Company

+ Cleanroom version of fast and

+ Pharmafill HT6W shrinks tamper-evident bands and full sleeve labels onto extra wide bot-

compact IRB 1100; designed for healthcare, pharma, and more

tles, jars, and more; handles plastic, glass, metal containers up to 6.75 in (D) and 10 in (H) + Developed for packaging dietary fiber, sports nutrition, weight loss products, and more

+ Certified to ISO 14644-1; two variants available with 4-kg payload: 475 mm reach or 580 mm reach

6 Benchtop Filling/Capping Robots Dispense Works Inc. + RF 2415 Robot designed to streamline filling and capping operations in one benchtop package; processes bottles, tubes, and vials with caps screwed on or supplied loose + Designed for liquid filling, plugging, and capping applications in the biotech, e-liquid and pharmaceutical industries; 24” x 15” travel area; full servo peristaltic pump control

7 Water Vapor Permeability Analyzer Systech Illinois + Lyssy L80-6000 analyzer measures barriers and high permeability materials including surgical and hygienic membranes, wound dressing, diaper materials, and more + Sample prep in minutes with self-adhesive sample cards; motorized sample clamping for test consistency

8 High Speed Servo-Driven Rotary Labeler Marchesini Group + RL-F800 automatic, high-speed, fully servo-driven rotary labeler; applies wrap-around labels on ampules and vials up to 800 parts/min + Features self-diagnosis on LCD display, label presence control system, fail-safe logic rejection

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AD INDEX

Antares Vision

17, 66

NJM Packaging

5, 80

www.antaresvision.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/248

www.NJMPackaging.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/119

Bell-Mark Sales Company

Ossid Corporation

Select Front Covers, 67

www.bell-mark.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/144

www.ossid.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/182

Brenton

PackworldUSA

Select Front Covers, 68

www.BrentonEngineering.com • www.ProMachBuilt.com HTTPS://PE.SHOW/325 Columbia Machine, Inc.

46 69

15, 70

www.iqms.com 97, 71

6, 72

21, 73

23, 74

7, 75

55, 76

9, 77

www.teqnow.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/309 38, 88

www.starview.net • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/277 41, 89

www.stevanatogroup.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/527 22, 90

www.syntegon.com/packexpo2020

Uhlmann Packaging

24, 91

Weber Packaging Solutions

42, 92

www.weberpackaging.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/126 45, 78

www.james-alexander.com

us.multivac.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/180

19, 87

www.uhlmann-group.com

www.herma.us

Multivac Inc.

www.schreiner-medipharm.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/489

HTTPS://PE.SHOW/307 • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/306

www.greydon.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/286

James Alexander Corporation

Cover-4, 86

Syntegon Technologies

www.guk-vijuk.com

HERMA US Inc.

www.prosysfill.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/114

Stevanato Group

www.FormulatedSolutions.com

Greydon

61, 85

Starview Packaging

www.formostfuji.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/147

G&K-Vijuk International

www.pmmi.org

Sonoco TEQ

www.eye-inspection.com

Formulated Solutions

www.Pharmaworks.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/211

Schreiner MediPharm

www.esstechnologies.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/267

Formost Fuji Corporation

11, 84

ProSys Innovative Packaging

www.deltamodtech.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/453

EyeC-America LLC

www.PAXXUS.com

PMMI Cover-3

Delmiaworks (formerly IQMS)

ESS Technologies

www.PackworldUSA.com

Pharmaworks

www.cvctechnologies.com

Delta Modtech

C-2, 82

PAXXUS 83

www.loadtransfer.net • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/128 CVC Technologies, Inc.

52-53, 81

Weiler Engineering

13, 93

www.weilerengineering.com • www.asep-tech.com 31, 79

WLS 94 www.WeilerLS.com • HTTPS://PE.SHOW/164

98 | Healthcare Packaging • Sept/Oct 2020

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Perfect Protection for Top Performance:

The New Robust RFID-Label To excel under harshest conditions, you need stability and reliability paired with top performance. Introducing the new Robust RFID-Label from Schreiner MediPharm, a solution designed for pharmaceutical and medical device applications. Featuring integrated protective structures, the robust yet flexible label ensures perfect RFID functionality for reliable, unit-level reading of vials and syringes from production through end use. To learn more, scan the QR code or go to www.robust-rfid.com

Visit us at PACK EXPO Connects at https://PE.show/489

Specialty peel-off labels Combination hanger labels Functional syringe labels Brand protection solutions

Innovative labels. Smart solutions. Schreiner MediPharm, a business unit of Schreiner Group LP 路 300 Corporate Drive, Suite 10 路 Blauvelt, NY 10913 Phone (845) 848-9000 路 Fax (845) 848-9041 路 info@schreiner-medipharm.com Additional products and further info at www.schreiner-medipharm.com

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Healthcare Packaging September/October 2020

Articles inside

DIAGNOSTICS

AUTOMATION