Increase Packaging Line Capacity Using an Automated Packaging Machine

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry, particularly in animal health, faces challenges in optimizing production processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs while maintaining product quality and safety standards. This study focuses on addressing a bottleneck in the production line of a local pharmaceutical company, specifically in the manual secondary packaging stage. Four operators are employed to pack blisters into sleeves, leading to inefficiencies, higher labor costs, and potential errors. To overcome this challenge, the company aims to integrate the BIB-BOB machine, which offers a significantly higher output rate of 150 blisters per minute (bpm). However, before implementing this automation solution, a comprehensive cost analysis is imperative to evaluate its financial viability, considering factors such as initial investment, operational costs, labor savings, and productivity gains. The objective is to optimize the packing line to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall rofitability, all while upholding the quality and safety standards of the packaged medicines. Key terms – Automation, Efficiency, ROI and Pharmaceutical packaging process.