Tunisia's first blister packaging line with serialisation system
Anticipating regulatory obligations by adopting solutions before others provides a competitive advantage on the market. Laboratoires MédiS are convinced of this and recently became the first Tunisian biopharmaceutical company to adopt a SEA Vision serialisation system installed on a Marchesini Group line for packaging pharmaceutical blisters. The project has required several months of design, but collaboration between Marchesini Group, SEA Vision and Laboratoires MédiS has produced an extraordinary outcome.
The project is a complete solution for blister packaging using the Track & Trace system
Founded in 1995, Laboratoires MédiS now has a large portfolio of galenic products manufactured - at its headquarters near Nabeul - by dedicated production lines and packaged in ampoules, bottles, pre-filled syringes, sachets and blister packs. Some of the production of medicines manufactured by Tunisian companies is destined for the European market, one of the most tightly controlled in terms of the pharmaceutical supply chain. The constant need to comply with regulations on the serialisation of medicines has prompted Laboratoires MédiS to make a twofold investment: a new high-speed pharmaceutical blister packaging line fitted with a built-in traceability system. So, as well as having the best technology on the market for packaging blisters for the pharma market, Laboratoires MédiS are able to meet the requirements of EU legislation on serialisation and, at the same time, anticipate any future introduction of new regulations to do with product aggregation: an additional level of control that involves combining pharmaceutical cartons produced on line with packaging of higher logistical levels such as cases or pallets.
The project - carried out at the large thermoforming centre in Carpi (Modena) and recently completed with tests at the Marchesini Group's headquarters in Pianoro (Bologna) - required several months of planning and recourse to the best tradition of collaboration between the Marchesini Group and SEA Vision.
The packaging line consists of two main sections: a blister packaging machine for preparing the blister and placing the products to be packaged in the blisters, and a cartoning machine for inserting the blisters inside the cartons. The two sections are fully connected and integrated thanks to robotic arms designed and built in-house by the Marchesini Group's Research and Development departments. The line is completed by an automatic labeller for applying tamper-proof seals, as well as being fitted with a track and trace unit for printing and checking codes, and a shrink-wrapper.
The best of SEA Vision technology for meeting the needs of Laboratoires MédiS
The request by Laboratoires MédiS, followed by the Spanish branch of SEA Vision, has resulted in the implementation of a software platform for managing all levels of packaging where serialisation is required due to anti-counterfeiting legislation. The installed L2 software, Tracker, manages the printing and on-line control of codes and characters on each individual product pack; it communicates with Yutrace module, which manages serial numbers provisioning and event posting, and sends serial numbers and batch variable data to the level 2 Tracker system.
Since a multi-level software architecture that can be integrated with all existing business systems is needed for automatically managing the information flow the L2 and L3 software systems are part of the Yudoo software suite, a 4.0 infrastructure that enables the full digitalization of processes. With this strong capability of integration, Laboratoires MédiS are able to manage all the parameters required for batch operations (data such s Recipes and Process Orders) from a single centralised point and are able to manage packaging lines from a single centralised platform using the Yudesk module. Yudoo's new web browser interface makes every system more accessible than ever, providing a fluid and intuitive browsing experience that gives users total control over every function.
As this was Laboratoires MédiS’ first project in traceability, it was important to support it step by step in the choices to meet all the challenges of serialisation. “This installation confirms the effectiveness of the strengths of SEA Vision’s solutions: modular design and a progressive approach”, says Debora Allasio, Director of SEA Vision Spain. “In fact, the entire solution provided for the customer guarantees complete flexibility for meeting current needs and those that may arise in the future, for example in the event of regulatory changes or the introduction of additional aggregation requirements. What's more? With Yudoo it's easy to keep data synchronised so that customers are able to work as they see fit, for example by navigating the dashboard from different devices, without having to manage operations physically close to the packaging line”.