Crest Solutions & Eisai Machinery USA for Pharmaceutical Packaging

Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. distributes pharmaceutical production systems and equipment that are highly regarded by pharmaceutical manufacturers the world over for their superb quality, safety, efficiency and accuracy. Its best-known product is the revolutionary Automatic Inspection Machine (AIM), a high-precision instrument that detects impurities in ampoules, vials, or cartridges. AIM’s are currently used by pharmaceutical manufacturers in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. There are more than 1000 AIM machines installed in over 50 countries worldwide. The newest Eisai inspection system is a high-speed, automatic inspection machine for syringes. (36,000/hour)

Crest Solutions and Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. jointly launched PharmaMarker™ to tackle the new track and trace regulatory challenges in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.  The PharmaMarker system integrates easily into pharmaceutical production and packaging lines to support more stringent industry regulations in the areas of coding and traceability of pharmaceutical products.

France (CIP13), Turkey (ITS) and California (E-pedigree) have already introduced their own individual regulation plans for the labeling and traceability of packages and other regions are poised to follow shortly. These regulatory changes will lead to a more secure supply chain management system in the area of pharmaceutical production and delivery to end-users. The PharmaMarker system has been developed to meet these challenges by coding, verifying and tracking up to 450 pharmaceutical cartons per minute to ensure that they can be fully traced along any point in their production lifecycle.

The PharmaMarker system integrates easily into a production line either as a stand-alone product or as a component of an integrated packaging line. The PharmaMarker system marks the product cartons with a data matrix code which it then verifies to determine the pass or fail path which the carton then follows along the production line. Cartons that pass the verification station have their code details commissioned on Crest Solutions Protrack™ traceability software’s database which can be shared with regulatory or ERP environments, such as SAP.

Along with Crest Solutions’ line management and traceability software, combined with the machine manufacturing expertise of Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc., the PharmaMarker solution combines the high resolution in-sight vision system technology of Cognex and the industry’s leading coding and printing technologies of the Domino G-Series thermal ink jet printer to create a best-of-class solution for the pharmaceutical industry.

PharmaMarker works by printing cartons with a data matrix code using a non contact thermal ink jet or laser print head. Cartons are then conveyed past a Cognex high resolution vision system to precisely verify label data and correct cartons pass to the next point in the production line while failed cartons are removed using its automatic reject system. The system employs Crest Solutions’ LineDirector™ software to manage all the peripherals on the line and Crest Solutions’ Protrack™ real time traceability software is used to accurately record event data for complete compliance with track and trace regulations.

Crest Solutions and Eisai Machinery, U.S.A. Inc. are currently in discussions with several companies to roll out the product globally. The PharmaMarker is available for demonstration and trials at Eisai Machinery USA’s headquarters in Allendale, NJ, and also at Crest Solutions facilities located in Cork, Ireland.

Visit Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. on-line at www.eisaiusa.com