Reduced effort, increased efficiency

Increasing variant diversity, smaller batches and tight schedules pose growing challenges for packaging lines in the pharmaceutical industry. Frequent product changes increase the effort involved and create additional sources of error. That is why an international pharmaceutical company started looking for a solution to make its processes easier and more stable – without having to invest in new plant technology.

The problem was not the packaging itself – feeding it to the packaging line was the issue. The pharmaceutical company had always processed folding cartons and leaflets as separate components. A separate folding module first gave the leaflet the required format and then fed it into the packaging process. In practice, however, this additional unit proved to be a weak point. Paper jams, feeding faults and time consuming format changes repeatedly caused interruptions. These cost time and hampered performance.

What is more, the various departments involved assessed the situation differently. Whilst production was primarily concerned with downtimes, purchasing focused on the costs of packaging components and quality assurance on potential sources of error. It was difficult to quantify the actual expenses for the entire packaging process.

The pharmaceutical company, which manufactures medicines in various therapeutic areas such as oncology, rare diseases, and biopharmaceuticals, relies on packaging solutions from Faller Packaging at several of its European production sites. In this particular case, the decision was made in favour of the Combi Pack – a pre-assembled combination consisting of a folding carton and an integrated leaflet, which is mechanically connected to the carton and can be easily removed if required.

Since then, only one unit has been processed on the packaging line. The leaflet no longer has to be added separately. This reduces the number of process steps and minimises potential sources of error. Major adjustments to the existing plant were not necessary. Planning, the provision of materials and goods receipt were also significantly simplified. Instead of two components, the pharmaceutical manufacturer now only has to order, store and inspect one single packaging unit. This reduces the effort involved in coordination and makes it easier to switch products.

The new solution also proves its worth economically when viewed as part of the overall process. Although the unit procurement costs are somewhat higher than those of the individual components, a comprehensive view reveals clear advantages: fewer faults, more efficient changeovers and less overall effort required along the packaging line. The company was also able to clearly improve its overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

‘In the end, it wasn’t just about the price of individual components but about making the process on the packaging line simpler and more robust. That was precisely where our greatest leverage lay,’ emphasises Christian Klein, head of technical sales at Faller Packaging.