Page 35 - Packaging News Magazine July-Aug 2020

July-August 2020 | www.packagingnews.com.au | SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
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Low-volume, high-value: packaging delivers
In 2016 MSD launched the drug Zepatier to combat hepatitis C. As a high-cost product, Zepatier was not forecast to be produced in large batch sizes, which required a tailored packaging solution.
different artwork at the last possible moment before shipment. MSD has adopted an identical process with other products, as Hapa’s late stage customisation technology has been such a success with Zepatier.
“After the Zepatier concept we did an extension and relocation of the line which included more space for the BlisterJet so we could pack more blisters per hour,” Van Kelst says.
“The Zepatier concept was so suc- cessful that our site in Heist-op-den- Berg was chosen for a selection of new similarly low-volume, high value products. The reason why the business came to our site was because we already had the late stage custom- isation concept in place; at the moment, we pack five different prod- ucts on that line for markets worldwide.”
Van Kelst says Hapa’s customer ser- vice was efficient with a very quick response time.
“For a big project we had some dif- ficulty printing in two colours, how- ever Hapa found a solution to print these colours on a blister with a very quick turnaround. We will continue to work with Hapa for many years to come,” Van Kelst said. ■
THE World Health Organisation estimates one in 50 people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis C, and in 2016 MSD, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, intro- duced the drug Zepatier to help treat the disease. Pharmaceuti-
cal packaging specialist Hapa was chosen to develop a packaging system for the drug.
Stijn Van Kelst, senior specialist, packaging technology and manufac- turing automation at MSD explains how the Hapa’s BlisterJet helped get Zepatier to market.
“MSD Belgium was selected for the packaging of Zepatier for all markets worldwide. The big difference with other products was we needed to sup- ply the market within 24 hours of receiving an order and the quantity could be anywhere from 10 to 10,000,” Van Kelst says.
Van Kelst says MSD usually packs on lines that produce thousands of
product units per hour.
“But now we needed to be able to
pack just 10 products for a specific market. That is why we chose Hapa, so we can print on every individual blister with market specific informa- tion and manage small volumes,” Van Kelst says.
“Zepatier is very, very expensive so we could not waste any product, nei- ther on site nor in the market. So, if we receive an order for 20 packs, we must supply 20 packs not 21 or 25. We hold no finished goods inventory of the product, so we must supply the exact amount for an order and that was the solution we found with late stage customisation using Hapa’s BlisterJet.”
SUCCESS BREEDS OPPORTUNITIES
Hapa’s technology allows for the decoupling of the production of blis- ters from the packaging. This enables customisation of the product with
Hapa’s BlisterJet can handle small runs and prints market specific information on every individual blister.