< PreviousVISION, INSPECTION AND DETECTION 20 Pharma Business International www.pbiforum.net vision Machine Pharma Business International 21 www.pbiforum.net VISION, INSPECTION AND DETECTION Quality assurance and health and safety both rely on good inspection, and we are long past the point where the human eye can be of any practical use in a factory setting. As demand for machine vision systems increase however, the complexity of the task rises in tandem. T here is only so much that human inspection can achieve in any production environment. Given that consumer safety is absolutely essential from both a commercial and an ethical standpoint, it is vital that any potential for error is eliminated. For the most part, pharma manufacturers use Machine Vision Systems to carry out tasks such as counting large numbers of units on the production line, reading product labels to ensure they contain accurate labelling information, and testing for faults in the packaging of a product which could result in contamination or degradation. These systems are also employed during the initial stages of the manufacturing process to measure individual ingredients, so detailed 22 Á © stock.adobe.com/xiaolianggeVISION, INSPECTION AND DETECTION 22 Pharma Business International www.pbiforum.net information is available at every step of the supply chain thanks to their integration with ever-more sophisticated hardware. 100% quality control is the bottom line, and virtually every process from harvesting to sorting to packaging is now using these technologies, significantly cutting down costs while reducing the risk of contamination at every stage. The options in this area are certainly becoming more advanced, however – meaning contamination and mistakes can be spotted almost immediately without the requirement of lengthy downtime or the need to destroy a large number of products. Of course, product recalls are also something to be avoided, especially since they can fatally damage relations with both customer and consumers. Product safety – an absolute must in a quality driven environment – can also be guaranteed through the use of Machine Vision Systems. For example, laser triangulation devices similar to those used to measure size, weight and consistency can be employed to ensure the overall integrity of a product’s packaging. To guarantee maximum security and prevent potential Pharma Business International 23 www.pbiforum.net VISION, INSPECTION AND DETECTION contamination, it is vital that any seals, lids, bags and bottle-tops are checked for flaws or signs of tampering. Triangulation devices will do a much better job than older 2-D imaging systems because they are able to capture a far greater level of detail, identifying even the smallest imperfections. The other advantage of using a 3D system, of course, is that it will pick up flaws on every side of a unit of packaging and not just on its immediately visible surfaces. Manufacturers are also focused on reducing the impact of their systems on the manufacturing process. While hygiene and safety are important, the efficiency and profitability of a site still needs to be a major concern – as even the slightest interruption can prove costly. Machine Vision Systems will shape the future of the pharmaceuticals industry in a variety of ways. Automated systems can help save time and money at every stage of the production process. They can also be used to ensure product safety, which, in a quality-drive world where reputations are constantly on the line, is all but necessary. © stock.adobe.com/funfunphotoENVIRONMENTAL 24 Pharma Business International www.pbiforum.net A rguably the first priority in conducting any environmental management analysis is to start with the wider supply chain before macroing in on specifics. One of the most carbon intensive areas of any company’s supply chain is transport and distribution, and so improvements here must be a critical part of any environmental management. Simple solutions, such as more efficiently designed packaging to allow more to be loaded into a single shipment, can have a big impact. However, reducing these emissions is not only simple a case of swapping one fleet out for another, as many of the alternatives to fossil-fuel powered transportation are no way near close to taking over. Focussing on a company’s in-house operations now, and one of the biggest changes is the integration of renewable energy into the manufacturing process. More and more companies are signing virtual power purchase agreements, in which a company agrees to purchase power at a negotiated price from a wind or solar project over a predetermined number of years. Elsewhere, companies are installing solar panels at their own sites to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Another area where companies can focus their environmental efforts is in the avoidance of waste during manufacturing. There will always be some wastage involved in the production of pharmaceutical products, but this can be minimised by designing the production process in such a way where lost product is collected and reused where possible, or safely dealt with if not. Although pharma manufacturers are required by law to ensure their Responding to the crisis Responding to the crisis Reducing environmental waste and greener business has been a buzzword for years but recent disasters made worse by climate change may force it into reality. 27 ÁPharma Business International 25 www.pbiforum.net ENVIRONMENTAL © stock.adobe.com/EwaStudioENVIRONMENTAL 26 Pharma Business International www.pbiforum.net © stock.adobe.com/ Deemerwha studioPharma Business International 27 www.pbiforum.net ENVIRONMENTAL machinery, equipment and operations are kept clean and hygienic, there’s also the environment to consider. Industrial cleaning products are often themselves harmful to the environment, but water usage is one of the biggest issues. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), cleaning can account for as much as seventy per cent of a site’s entire water usage. This brings additional costs such as labour, downtime, lost materials, cleaning chemicals, and extra energy expended for heating and pumping. Optimisation requires a change in cleaning routine that, over time, will not only help to slash water supply bills, but also reduce the volume of concertation in effluent. There’s a chain of thought that claims a reduction in water compromises hygiene requirements. But this simply isn’t true, with a number of ways of minimising water usage whilst also maintaining hygiene levels and, in some cases, even improving them. Minimising wastewater should be a priority to pharma companies, not just in terms of cleaning, but right across the supply chain. In many cases, wastewater is simply outsourced to a processing plant or treatment facility, but now the onus is not on how best to dispose of wastewater, but how best to put it to use. But before this wastewater can be fed back into the supply chain, it first needs to undergo a vigorous process (or several processes) to purify and filter it. The most ubiquitous technologies in achieving this are distillation, absorption, electrolysis, reverse osmosis, and filtration – the latter of which is the most commonly used thanks to its cost- effective nature and overall reliability. Yet treating and purifying wastewater with ultraviolet (UV) light boats longevity, efficiency, affordability and eco- friendly credentials. Unlike some of the other solutions available, UV is an environmentally friendly alternative and results in no disinfection by-products. Environmental management is a critical undertaking for pharma businesses, but there’s no one single approach, but rather, it’s important to adopt a multi-faceted exploration of the supply chain, from end to end, to identify areas where improvements must be made.LOGISTICS 28 Pharma Business International www.pbiforum.net Lean, efficient, resilient. That’s the focus of logistics and transport nowadays, and one that has to be considered for the future. W ith the issues of cost and efficiency under the spotlight like never before, multimodal solutions are becoming more and more attractive to logistics managers. It’s certainly the case that many companies aren’t following routes that could be more effective – for example, while sixty-three per cent of containers arrive in the UK through ports in the Southeast of England, only ten per cent of large distribution warehousing is actually based there. The vast majority of the items, therefore, have to travel across the country in trucks that will inevitably ramp up carbon emission. The introduction of more warehousing Finding the right balance Finding the right balance Pharma Business International 29 www.pbiforum.net LOGISTICS © stock.adobe.com/AminaDesign in the right areas will make a difference, as too will the co-operative logistics schemes whereby numerous companies can work together to full up one lorry with a number of products rather than have dozens travel around half-empty. It’s not just the vehicles on the road that have an environmental impact either – those confined to the warehouse play an equally important role. In many cases, the improvements that can be made to the supply chain to increase efficiency are neither overly expensive or esoteric, but are simply ones that operators have taken for granted. What is for sure, however, is that with the increasing demands being placed on manufacturers, both by retailers and the general public. The supply chain is going to be facing some serious challenges in the coming years and will remain an important part of the pharma industry. It’s not only warehouses in short supply, however. Drivers appear to be a 30 ÁNext >