Track & Trace

Bosch offers the entire serialization package, including the corresponding IT. All solutions are based on the CPS, which serializes up to 400 folded cartons per minute with 1D or 2D data matrix codes. CPI software solution – this is the name of the smart software solution from Bosch for Track & Trace and much more. It not only manages serialization from the allocation of the serial numbers right through to the last aggregation step. You can also connect single components, packaging lines and complete factories.

Cartoners, case packers and robotic palletizers easily integrate with off-the-shelf serialization system to meet pharmaceutical mandates.

Given the life-saving and life-sustaining nature of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, packaging plays significant roles in maintaining product quality and promoting safe and effective use. And the size of these industries is significant, too. Global demand for pharma packaging is expected to grow 6.5% each year to reach more than $100 billion in 2019, reports research firm Freedonia Group; U.S. demand alone is predicted to hit $22.1 billion by 2018. Freedonia also predicts global demand for medical device packaging to grow 5.9% annually to $25.7 billion in 2017.

Since round containers can rotate on the conveyor, it can be difficult to align the GS1 barcode on the label for automatic scanning on the packaging line. Many companies set up “scan tunnels” with multiple machine vision scanners to capture the barcode data, a complicated and expensive method.
ID Technology’s patent-pending solution involves printing a unique datamatrix barcode on either the bottom of the bottle or the top of the cap. The helper code is printed before the container arrives at the labeling station.

Look for the ongoing implementation of track-and-trace technologies and the impending European falsified medicines directive to be key subjects at Pharmapack Europe Feb. 10-11 at Paris Expo Porte De Versailles.

Abrisa Technologies screen prints glass with high durability frit ink for harsh environment applications such as marine display/cluster gauges where corrosive salt spray and fog are a continuous threat. The frit inks are also well-suited to other severe outdoor environments where organic inks may degrade and impede performance.

Contract packager PCI discusses its serialization systems hierarchy and how it yields benefits both internally and for its pharmaceutical / biopharmaceutical companies around the globe.

Optel Vision announces the launch of the Manual Print Station™, an easy-to-use manual station managing the printing and verification of cartons to ensure accurate serialization.

The ability to trace individual products through the supply chain is becoming increasingly important to fight counterfeiting and increase consumer safety. This applies to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, tobacco as well as to the food & beverage industries.

The need for track and trace capabilities in industries such as food and beverage, manufacturing or automotive industries is obvious: the threat of contamination or recalls impacts public safety, and the responses to those events are highly regulated. Organizations need to know what goes into their products and their location at all times. But increasingly, companies in other industries are taking a fresh look at the need for advanced tracking and tracing capabilities that are critical throughout the order process and can drive efficiencies the entire way through, from picking to returns.

Drugmakers that have not started complying with worldwide track and trace regulations are behind the eight ball, as most companies only allow for two to three years for implementation, a supply chain expert warns.