Actavis Deploys Laetus Inspection Solution On Liquid Fill Lines

“We embarked on upgrading our inspection as a general quality improvement project,” says Grai.

Actavis runs 11 lines at the Lincolnton plant for packaging generic prescription and OTC creams, ointments, and liquids.

 

Before the Inspect wt installation, packaging inspection was limited to bar code verification and confirming the presence of lot number and expiry data printed on primary labels and cartons.

“Our inspection for online printed lot and expiry confirmed that something was printed, but we didn’t have 100% individual character verification capability. We have used packaging line operators for manual verification of print integrity on finished packaging,” Grai says.

 

“With Inspect wt, we are adding camera-based inspection for OCR/OCV print inspection, and Inspect wt functions for presence and verification of bottles, labels, inserts, and outserts,” Grai says.

 

In the Inspect wt solution, all devices are centrally operated and monitored by the Laetus Navigator. The Windows-based web browser software communicates with camera controllers, cameras, and sensors over an Ethernet network.

 

“The Ethernet concept is unique to Laetus and makes our product very easily integratable and very easily expandable,” says Jeff O’Neill, director, Laetus North America.

Multiple windows can be featured in one camera field of view for supporting multiple inspection tasks, O’Neill says.

“We guarantee all codes and all printing, comparing them with pre-defined standards and identifying any deviations,” O’Neill adds.

 

The Ethernet network provides flexibility for adding additional inspection stations.

“With the current system in place, we can add a third or fourth camera downstream under change control, without the need to revalidate the entire system,” Grai says.

“The central control of the wt 30 operating system makes set up and changeover faster. You enter the bar code and the lot and expiry reference codes at the PC without the need to program individual devices on the line. In addition, the lot and expiry information is downloaded to the printers automatically via Ethernet eliminating the need to program individual printers,” he adds.

 

The upgrade removed the servers supporting Laetus’ Argus 6012 intelligent code readers but retained the Argus sensor heads deployed throughout the plant. The bar code verification is managed by the Inspect wt controller.

 

Actavis ordered the solution in November. Installation began a month later. “Actavis had a very aggressive implementation schedule, and we worked around the clock to meet their deadlines,” says O’Neill.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Laetus,” adds Grai. “We have always had good support from their technicians, and overall we had a very positive experience working on this project.”

 

Actavis adopted Inspect wt modules for multiple inspection tasks on two bottle filling lines that have since been fully commissioned and validated, Grai says.

Bar codes are inspected, read, and verified on labels, outserts, and inserts.

 

OCR/OCV inspects label, print, and lot number and expiry dates. A grid integrity tool checks the presence of applied labels and presence of inserts and outserts and, going forward, the completeness of packed cases and bottle position in the case.

 

Grai says the system is being commissioned for a tube-filling line using Laetus Cosi white light scanners for reading and verifying the pharma codes on the tubes. “We are evaluating whether we want to add a camera for automatically verifying the correct number of cartons per case, and the online embossed lot and expiry on the carton flap,” he says.

 

The facility is looking at future upgrades as well. “Based on the success we have had to date, we are interested in adding a camera to a case packer to automatically verify bottle count and that the topserts are present before sealing the case. We are also looking at using the grid integrity tool for verifying the presence, color, and embossed lettering of the dosage cups on the bottles to enable 100% electronic verification of product-specific dosage cups,” he says.

 

The solution has met the goals of the project to date, Grai says. He adds that Actavis will be addressing line productivity issues, and evaluate the opportunity for cost reduction.

“With 100% verification of the online printed information, we have increased our quality, which was the main objective of this project,” Grai says.

 

“One thing we have learned is how critical it is to print clearly and consistently to minimize false rejects. So as we are ramping up, we are evaluating whether we need to upgrade our printers to increase print quality on the variable data,” Grai says.