Digital identification solutions, including RFID and QR Code, were introduced in the different industries and transformed the mechanism of the supply chain. Also, the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and medical devices companies took into account the idea of implementing these new technologies with the aim to enhance the process management and the quality of products.
Their adoption offers a great potential in terms of improvement in the pharmaceutical field, giving the chance to monitor several aspects, including:
This article deals with the application of these digital identification solutions in the pharmaceutical industry and will illustrate how these technologies are improving its future, by solving relevant issues.
The issues affecting pharmaceutical products mainly concern their production process, which determines the need to carry out regular checks on production, work processes and the materials used and, consequently, to detect any non-conformities.
These occur when a requirement of the drug, produced by the supplier, does not meet the predefined standards set out in the “Quality Agreement”, that is the contract regulating quality aspects shared between the production site and the supplier. The “Quality Agreement” guarantees the safety and efficacy of drugs by subscribing compliant information with a variety of regulations, some of which include specifications of the final product:
The traditional packaging, in most cases, has a limited space to host all this information. By using these digital technologies like RFID and QR Code, there is the possibility to provide the clients with important information, so as, significantly enhancing precision, traceability and productive quality of drugs and medical devices.
The implementation of digital identification solutions represents an important step toward a more advanced, safe, and effective pharmaceutical future. In fact, their use, can avoid several problems, including human mistakes, challenges linked to legal compliance, risks to patients safety and operational inefficiencies. These solutions can provide value to the healthcare sector in the following modalities:
Guarantee of authenticity: to prevent counterfeiting of non-certified drugs
Processes automation in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare facilities and inventory management optimization: it improves workflows, facilitating automated drug management, and reducing the risk of medication errors.
Efficiency and efficacy improvement of the cost in the healthcare ecosystem: a study carried out by Avery Dennison shows that further than 7% of pharmaceutical stocks is lost, damaged or overproduction occurs. This information is essential not only because these stocks are essential for human health but also because pharmaceutical companies loose 3.6% of their annual turnover…
Quality control: to check constantly the key parameters of productive processes like temperature, pressure, or concentration of chemicals.
Drugs administration: to inform healthcare professionals and patients about the exact dosage, the time of use and the procedure for administering them, thus saving time and errors.
Improvement of care and patient safety: by reducing the risk of human errors like wrong labelling or the mix-up of laboratory samples, so as, preventing misdiagnosis and promoting better clinical outcomes.
Adding further information or details about the medicine: to address the customers to any content that may be essential to better understand the uses, benefits, or advantages of a medicine.
Nowadays, the counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry represents a crucial issue worldwide. The global value of counterfeited pharmaceuticals is estimated to be around USD 200 billion, twice than narcotics, so as, being a threat to both consumer safety and economic stability of countries.
Even in this case, digital identification technologies like QR Code or RFID, can support the fight against counterfeited products. It is well known that unregistered medicines can lead to serious health risks for the customers because they are unable to detect them.
The latest report by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights the dangers of counterfeited medicines for patients. These are some of the risks:
For the above reasons, pharmaceutical companies in many countries implemented these technologies to fight against counterfeiting and allow the customer to verify their authenticity when purchasing them. Moreover, it supports the companies to protect the brand and its reputation.
The implementation of digital technologies such as RFID and QR codes can demonstrate to consumers the company’s commitment to security and integrity, positively influencing customer acquisition and retention through trust and credibility, and competitiveness within the market.
Non-conforming product marking or reconciliation
We integrate Videojet 1280/ VJ1580+
The unit has been fully integrated into the machine control panel what enables a wide range of benefits
For the operator:
Possibility of having a single panel where every machining parameter can be configured
For net plant productivity:
Reduction of setup time and guarantee of constant and correct functioning of the unit
Non-conforming Product Marking Functionality
The machine process automatically handles the marking of non-conforming products by integrating it within the error management process chosen for production.
Functionality of printing on the back of the material
The machine process automatically manages the printing of variable data on the back of the material (liner) for each reconciliation requirement by integrating their management within the error management process chosen for production.
Ability to integrate other third-party CIJ systems
Other third-party CIJ printing systems can be integrated upon development of the command-and-control interface.
Thermal transfer printing
We integrate Videojet Dataflex 6530
The unit has been fully integrated into the machine control panel what allows a wide range of advantages
Ability to integrate other third-party TTO systems
Other third-party TTO printing systems can be integrated upon development of the command-and-control interface.
Spark Cam™
Vision inspection system
What is SPARK CAM?
SPARK CAM™ is a high-performance vision inspection system fully designed and built by our R&D department to control print quality during production.
The system reliability is also the result of more than two decades of direct market experience with some of the most popular inspection systems including: Decosystem and Lake image.
System fully integrated into the machine control panel
The system is fully integrated into the machine control panel which enables a wide range of benefits
Single system to manage the Print Ǫuality of graphics and Variable
Single system where two control macro areas can be activated with different libraries related to specific production needs:
Print Ǫuality Inspection:
Libraries for the inspection of security elements, scratches, smears, streaks, stains, ink splashes, ghost effects, torn material, creases, color deviation, …
Thanks to our vision engineering department, it is, in addition, possible to directly develop customized control features.
Print Ǫuality inspection of Variable Data:
Libraries for OCR control (with a full range of fonts/special characters), machine readable codes also with grading features according to international standards:
With a wide range of codes and encoding protocols including: ǪRcode, Data Matrix, … and with GS1 coding standards, ….
Wide range of available templates
Due to the fact that we make our inspection systems in-house, Graphimecc can meet any production requirement.
Available are:
both black-and-white or color systems, and with a wide range of resolutions to fit every inspection specification.
Spark Jet™
Inkjet printer
What is SPARK JET?
SPARK Jet™, is an inkjet printing system completely designed and built by our R&D department to go beyond the frequent limitations of traditional printing systems.
The system reliability is also the result of more than two decades of direct market experience with some of the manufacturers of the most popular inkjet printing systems such as: Domino, Videojet, REA JET.
System fully integrated into the machine control panel
The system is fully integrated into the machine control panel which enables a wide range of advantages:
High performance and print quality
SPARK JET™ offers different print resolutions depending on the production speed. Thus, you can get a high-quality product (600x600dpi) or lose definition slightly to increase production speed.
Modular print height
Each printing module has a printing height of 54mm.
The SPARK JET printing system is fully modular and can be composed to achieve the desired print height without any limitation.
Wide range of inks that can be used
SPARK JET™ can be configured to print with different base inks:
This flexibility allows adaptation to the widest range of materials, managing every production requirement.
Single-color, multi-color system
SPARK JET™ is available in two versions:
Automatic cleaning system
To maximise the durability of SPARK JET™ print heads, we have developed an automatic cleaning system that is fully managed via the machine’s central panel. This system cleans the heads every X hours of printing (with X being a parameter that can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the print and substrate) and positions them so that they rest in a way that protects them from ink drying inside the nozzles.
Furthermore, as it is fully motorised, it allows for easy and precise adjustment of the print head’s height and transverse position relative to the material.
High-precision adjustment holder
Each SPARK JET™ system is equipped, as a basic feature, with a high-precision adjustment system that, in the absence of the automatic cleaning system, allows the adjustment of the printer position both in height (distance from the substrate) and in transverse position with respect to the material.
With this option, the head cleaning and resting activities are manual.
Spark RFID™
RFID antenna and reader
What is Spark RFID?
Spark RFID™ is a system completely designed and built by our R&D department and allows to control and encode any RFID TAG (UHF, HF, NFC, BLE and RF, …), ensuring maximum reliability and efficiency.
The system reliability is also the result of continuous collaboration with chip and Inlay manufacturers such as:
Modular system that can be configured according to individual needs
Due to its modular structure SPARK RFID can be configured in different modes to allow the best productivity according to production needs and the type of RFID to be processed.
Easy encoding, even for inexperienced operators
Thanks to our fully graphical GMG RFID Memory Map™ editor, the creation of any type of encoding finally becomes intuitive and accessible to everyone.
Ǫuick and intuitive setup, even for inexperienced operators
Setting up RFID production becomes quick and accessible to every operator; thanks to the high level of automation, our machines can be operated autonomously by any finishing operator without requiring specific knowledge of electronics or telecommunications.
System fully integrated into the machine control panel
The system is fully integrated into the machine control panel allowing a wide range of advantages
100% compliant with regulatory standards
Certified CE Marking
CE marking plays an increasingly important role in protecting operators and the enterprise.
For Graphimecc this is an indispensable value.
Advanced levels of automation
Integration with external software
The machine is natively integrable either directly or with the GM ENTERPRISE™ CMS with any ERP and enterprise database ensuring secure, real-time data exchange.
Usable by any operator
Fully graphical interface
Designed to be usable by any operator regardless of experience level.
Advanced operator login
Integration with user management via corporate Active Directory for machine access in compliance with internal security policies.
To certify the quality of production
Automatic production reports
The machine generates various production reports fully automatically and with customisable content.
Automatically eliminates all production errors
ZERO™: the technology that enables you to produce a 100% error free finished
Developed since 1999, it is now in its 5th generation and is the most advanced technology for:
ZERO™ represents the next generation of quality finishing in that it allows:
ZERO™: the technology that guarantees the highest productivity
ZERO™ enables productivity levels up to 10 times higher than other solutions available on the market.
ZERO™ enables productivity levels up to 10 times higher than other solutions available on the market.
ZERO™ allows you to choose between 21 different error management processes to meet every production need.
Detects all errors with absolute precision
Inspection of Variable data
You can manage the control of any type of variable data: OCR, Linear Barcode (1D and 2D), 2D Matrix Barcodes with different encoding types (Industrial, GS1, …).
Inspection of printing defects of the graphic products
You can manage the inspection of various printing defects typically related to the graphics part such as: scratches, smudges, streaks, spots, ink splashes, ghost effects, torn material, creases, color deviation, …
Modular control features
With our fully graphical GMG Layout EditorTM, configuration of each control feature becomes intuitive and accessible to everyone.
Ability to customize the vision system to your specific needs
Machine configuration also allows you to choose the vision system best suited to your production needs:
Our specialty since 1999
Print every type of variable data
You can manage the printing of any type of variable data: OCR, Linear Barcode (1D and 2D), 2D Matrix Barcodes with different encoding types (Industrial, GS1, …).
OCR
Linear barcodes 1D
Matrix barcodes 2D
Advanced Variable Data Printing Functionality
Thanks to our fully graphical GMG Layout Editor™, creating any type of variable data printout becomes intuitive and accessible to everyone.
Ability to manage any type of protocol and sequence
Variable data printing can be configured by choosing from a wide range of fonts and codes to which sequences of all types can be linked, being able to meet every production need.
Possibility to integrate a wide range of printing systems
The machine can be configured by integrating different printing units to best meet production needs and investment budget.
