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 that 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 database, which can be shared with regulatory or ERP environments, such as SAP.
“The PharmaMarker™ is an easy-to-integrate, easy-to-validate solution for tracking and tracing pharmaceutical products, thus enabling manufacturers to immediately comply with ongoing regulations while also improving patient safety, counteracting fraud and creating a more secure supply chain,” said Michael de la Montaigne, President of Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. “The combination of our resources and expertise in Vision and machine building with our partner Crest Solutions’ intuitive software has helped make the PharmaMarker™ system an industry-leading solution.”
Crest Solutions has been at the forefront in solving packaging management problems for pharmaceutical manufacturers for the last 12 years and is well positioned to understand the industry’s requirements. “The experience that we have gained from our extensive customer deployments and our collaboration with Eisai Machinery enabled us to develop the right product for the market,” said Frank Madden, CEO of Crest Solutions Ltd. “Not only is this system capable of handling new track and trace regulations coming into place now but also those expected in the future. The cost to the pharmaceutical industry and to patient safety is too great to be ignored. There is significant market potential for this product as companies need to comply with new regulations. We are very pleased with the interest shown already and expect to sign up a new customer shortly.”
In addition to Crest Solutions’ line management and traceability software and 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 Domino’s G-Series thermal ink jet printer to create a best-in-class solution for the pharmaceutical industry.
“Eisai Machinery U.S.A.’s PharmaMarker™ uses our High Resolution In-Sight® vision system, which is the preferred platform for pharmaceutical applications due to its compact form factor and ease-of-integration,” said Kris Bierbaum, Manager of Strategic Alliances for Cognex Corporation. “In-Sight® reliably reads, grades, and verifies printed data with unmatched and repeatable performance. Crest Solutions is a key Partner System Integrator (PSI) in our long-term strategy to address the pharmaceutical industry. The joint collaboration and expertise of Eisai, Crest and Cognex makes PharmaMarker™ the ideal solution for companies that want a reliable and adaptable solution to meet regulatory changes without reducing existing production line parameters.”
“We were very pleased that Domino was selected to supply coding devices for this solution,” said Craig Stobie, Global Healthcare Manager at Domino. “The number of emerging regulatory schemes for the coding, marking and labeling of healthcare packaging is one of the most significant challenges facing the pharmaceutical sector. Integrating seamlessly with Domino’s technologies for the healthcare sector – which include the G-Series thermal ink jet and D-Series laser coding ranges – PharmaMarker™ is a highly proficient solution that addresses both immediate and longer-term market requirements.”
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 ensure that only 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.
Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. and Crest Solutions are currently in discussion with several companies to roll out the product globally. The PharmaMarker™ is available for demonstration and trials at Eisai Machinery U.S.A.’s headquarters in Allendale, NJ, and also at Crest Solutions in Cork, Ireland. For more detailed product information, please visit www.eisaiusa.com and www.crestsolutions.ie.
About Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc.
Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. manufactures manual and semi-automated inspection equipment and distributes fully-automated pharmaceutical inspection systems and labeling machines that are highly regarded by pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide for their superb quality, safety, efficiency and accuracy. Eisai’s best-known product is the revolutionary Automatic Inspection Machine (AIM), a high-precision instrument that detects impurities in ampoules, vials, cartridges and pre-filled syringes. AIM’s are currently used by pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturers in North America and South America, Asia and throughout Europe and Africa. There are more than 1,000 AIM machines installed in over 50 countries around the world. The newest Eisai Inspection System (EIS) is a high-speed, automatic inspection machine for pre-filled syringes operating at speeds of up to 36,000 syringes per hour. Visit Eisai Machinery U.S.A. Inc. on-line at www.eisaiusa.com.
About Crest Solutions
Crest Solutions is a leader in the provision of solutions to highly regulated industries including Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Medical Devices manufacturing industries. Crest Solutions enables companies to fundamentally improve their packaging, automation, compliance and traceability activities. Crest Solutions delivers software systems that are built to compliant and validated standards including FDA compliancy according to GAMP standards and are developed specifically for 21 CFR Part 11 compliant environments.
Over the past 12 years Crest Solutions has assisted more than 70 companies worldwide to transform the way they do business through the introduction of vision technologies and Crest Solutions’ own line management, visual inspection solutions and product traceability software suite.
Headquartered in Cork, Ireland, Crest Solutions’ team provides hardware and software expertise to solve packaging management challenges. Crest Solutions’ customers include Allergan, Abbott Vascular, Baxter Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific, GlaxoSmithKline, Stiefel, Medtronic, Millipore, Teva, Pfizer and Servier. Visit Crest Solutions on-line at www.crestsolutions.ie.
About Cognex
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision sensors and systems, or devices that can "see." Cognex vision sensors are used in factories around the world to automate the manufacture of a wide range of items and to assure their quality. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 500,000 machine vision systems, representing over $2 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Visit Cognex on-line at www.cognex.com.
About Domino
Founded in 1978, Domino Printing Sciences plc, has established a global reputation for the continual development and manufacture of its total coding and printing technologies that meet the needs of manufacturers and sets new industry standards in quality and reliability.
Through a global network of 25 subsidiary offices and in excess of 200 distributors, Domino Printing Sciences plc sells to over 120 countries offering extensive customer support. In 2008, Domino Printing Sciences plc achieved a turnover of £253.4m million; it is listed in the FTSE 250 share index on the London Stock Exchange (share code DNO). The Group employs 2,238 people worldwide with manufacturing facilities situated in UK, China, Germany, India, Sweden and USA.
Operating with true global scale across a diverse industry base, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical and multiple industrial product groups, Domino Printing Sciences plc provides customers with proven solutions built upon years of extensive experience. Visit Domino on-line at www.domino-printing.com. |
