Groundbreaking PAT Solutions for Pharmaceutical Packaging Applications Awarded

Phil Black - PII Editor 19/06/2015

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Top Honours for Company’s Thermal Imaging-based Induction Integrity Verification System

DIR Technologies, a provider of quality and process control solutions for pharmaceutical primary packaging, has won the prestigious Innovation Award at this year’s ACHEMA World Forum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The honour was bestowed on DIR Technologies for its pioneering application of thermal imaging for 100% inspection of induction sealed bottles, the Induction Integrity Verification System (I2VS).

DIR’s I2VS provides induction sealing integrity analysis for 100% of bottles without packaging line slowdown. Inspection is performed through the closed cap, without physical contact in an entirely passive, non–destructive fashion. The groundbreaking infra-red technology has the potential to cause an industry-wide paradigm change, as it renders obsolete conventional inspection techniques that rely on destructive, imperfect and often line-slowing sampling.

This innovative solution provides a technological, non-destructive, process control inspection solution for a part of the packaging process where, previously, the only solution was destructive manual sampling.

The ACHEMA Innovation Award is bestowed by Vogel Business Media, a Germany-based publishing company whose titles in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences sector include PROCESS, PROCESS Worldwide, PharmaTEC and LABORPRAXIS.

DIR Technologies also has developed the Sachet Full Monitoring System (SFM) to provide 100% in-line inspection of sachets and pouches. Both DIR systems are either in use or in trials on packaging lines for several leading pharmaceutical packaging companies.

Both the I²VS and SFM systems also provide real-time quality control solutions that improve overall production workflow. When either detects a potential problem, the operator is notified of the possible source of the defect, enabling any issues to be fixed promptly. In addition to a smoother manufacturing process with minimal line stoppage for workbacks, a dual benefit here is that operators gain insight into a line’s intricacies that would not have been revealed through conventional sampling techniques.

The largest conference of its kind, ACHEMA draws an international audience of chemical process industry representatives from over 100 countries. More than 3,500 exhibitors were expected to attend this year’s show, where methods to improve overall production methods through process analytical technology (PAT) was among the most prominent topics.

“It is an honour to be recognised by ACHEMA with one of the life science industry’s most prestigious awards,” said Fabian Schapiro, Vice President of Marketing & Sales for DIR Technologies. “This award is another symbol of the growing recognition of our technology and the benefit of our inspection solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturers around the world. DIR has gone beyond innovation with a solution that is truly unique and that we believe will eventually become the new industry standard.”