Market Drives Canister Innovation

Flat desiccant canisters are suitable for use in blister packages.

S�d-Chemie Performance Packaging (Belen, NM) has developed a new line of desiccant canisters to meet industry needs and growing demand. The new canisters represent advancements in oxygen absorption, unique shapes, and anticounterfeiting tools. The desiccant manufacturer has seen an increase in the amount of sensitive drugs requiring moisture and oxygen control, an increase in the number of drug firms providing manufacturers� original packaging, and an increase in the number of nutritional and OTC companies using canisters.

S�d-Chemie�s PharmaKeep oxygen-absorbing canister, for instance, is generating a lot of interest. �We have a number of tests going on with pharmaceutical customers, especially with our oxygen-absorbing canisters,� explains Bob Crossno, director of sales and marketing�Americas. �In the past, firms weren�t able to use a desiccant with an oxygen absorber since the typical one, iron oxide, operates in high humidity. Our PharmaKeep product uses a proprietary ingredient that can work in low humidity, so it can be used with a desiccant.�

For packages that may not have a place for the traditionally shaped canister, S�d-Chemie has devised flat canisters that can fit into blister packages, for example. The firm has worked with a few contract packagers to design a special blister cavity to hold the flat canister. Another innovation is a new insert that sits below the neck of a bottle to protect hygroscopic powders.

Anticounterfeiting is also a priority. �We are about to launch a smart canister that can help customers detect whether products have been counterfeited,� he says.

S�d-Chemie continues to innovate its desiccant canister manufacturing. In 2003, it invested in its canister lines twice to maintain supply reliability. Other facility enhancements included the addition of electronic checkweighers, high-tech optical vision inspection systems, and injection molding process improvements. In addition to its U.S. facilities, S�d-Chemie also manufactures canisters at its plants in France and Australia, with a global manufacturing of more than 1 billion canisters per year. �If needed, we can set up a new canister-manufacturing line within 7�8 months,� he says. 

After seeing its desiccant canister sales nearly double since 2000, S�d-Chemie expects similar growth in the next few years. The company points out that desiccant canisters are widely used because of their rigid shape, the high speeds at which they can be inserted into pharmaceutical bottles (500 or more per minute), and their ease and efficiency of insertion.