Pharmacy

As packaging lines in pharma gathers momentum/ there is an increasing need for adequate quality check to maintain the standard of products. ACG Inspection with its hi-tech systems aims to eliminate possible danger and loss.

chandreyee Bhaumik

Over the last four decades ACG Worldwide has been dedicated  to  providing end-to-end solutions for the pharma industry and fulfilling the requirements of over 1500 customers in more than 80 countries. It is one of the few companies globally that offers technology solutions for pharma manufacturing, packaging, security and R&D solutions, all under one roof. With globalization and increased speed of packaging lines, there is a major challenge for effective online checks to maintain product quality. Thus, ACG Worldwide addressed this requirement of the industry by establishing ACG Inspection in 2009. It is a company that aims to provide hi-tech camera systems to increase the possibilities of revenue and reputation.

The group offers technology and expertise that has helped several Indian and multinational pharma companies fulfill their vision of producing quality products and providing solutions that are distinct and meet global standards. Customer at the forefront

Customer relationships have always been one of the topmost priorities of the Group and the same legacy has been passed over to ACG Inspection. The company boasts of a strong service team of highly trained vision system professionals with some of them having an experience spanning over 7 years in camera installation in the pharma industry. Further, inspired to offer quality services, the company also claims to comprehend the value of a satisfied customer and traverses all lengths to understand the root cause of any issues at customer site and resolve it completely. Informs Harpal Singh, Director-Business      Development, ACG Inspection Systems Pvt Ltd, "We offer quality-related services by manufacturing top quality high-speed cameras. We get the most accurate components based on the clients' needs in terms of design. Today, we have 80 people working in this company."

Craving and carving success

In order to live up to the changing demands of the customers and stay ahead of competition in the field of operation, innovation along with customer satisfaction is the mantra for most companies. ACG Inspection is no exception. Elaborating on the relevancy of innovation, Singh avers, "We try to instill passion among our employees so that they are interested in performing more. With our aim to offer world- class products and services, we have achieved top of line activities without compromising on the quality of our products." Highlighting the quality standards, Singh continues, "For every work there is a type of internal review highlighting our achievements and goals. We have more than 700 systems that provide a plethora of end-to-end solutions. Also, what gives us an edge over other companies is that it is not just our sites that use these cameras but any manufacturing site can use these cameras." Innovation being the mantra, the company has profusely invested in innovative R&D. Talking about the investment pattern of the company, Singh avers, "For us it is actually the investment of intellectual power. We are the youngest company in the entire Group."

Figuring the need

Pharma industry deals with life saving products. Thus, any minor mistake in the products will cause damage beyond comprehension. Elaborating on the necessity of the company's inspections systems, Singh opines, "An example will clearly demonstrate the necessity. If a diabetic patient is travelling and on the sixth day while opening the aluminum foil, instead of the sugar tablet finds a BP tablet, he is at a complete loss. To be true, there are enough chances of such mistakes to occur. They look the same, with a slight difference in the shade of the colour. Thus, every product is inspected for such related features." He continues with another example. Sometimes, the expiry date that is printed on the foil is not clear enough. If the last digit of  

Tech help

ACG Inspection provides a complete range of products that offers high end-to- end solutions for the pharma industry.

• Blis-i Series

This series of hi-resolution camera systems from ACG Inspection ensures that the blister product output meets all the quality specifications. The Blis-I series thus guarantees complete accuracy in physical product parameters in the production batch. The series comprises two product models, the Blis-114 & the Blis-1 V to meet specific production needs.

 Label-i Series

A perfect product pack should have a perfect product label, with accurately printed batch code, component code, pharma code, bar code, data matrix code, etc. Further, it is also important that the label retains the aesthetic appeal of the pack by being perfectly aligned and accurately positioned. This series from the company uses advanced morphological characteristics to scan product labels on high speed packing lines to ensure correct monitoring of the above mentioned; label parameters. Thus, this is an effective quality check on high speed blister packing and cartoning machines and on bottle & injectable filling lines.  

Micro-i Series

This series can be seamlessly integrated with any capsule filler to ensure consistency in fill volume of powder, granules or pellets. Further, this also checks the number of tablets and micro-tablets being filled in every capsule. As the Micro-i integrate with the rejection and stoppage systems of the capsule filling machine, it adds value by ensuring quality of the capsule product output.

Cart-i Series

This system from the company scans the several stages of the carton packing process to ensure accuracy of product and content of the finished pack. In addition to maintaining product quality, the Cart-i can read and compare the bar codes and pharma codes on the pack insert, carton and blister to ensure zero mix-up in the high speed packaging process.

 Print-i Series

This system ensures complete verification of printing with respect to; characters, fonts, logos and colours. It can be integrated with the stoppage; systems of printing machines in order to ensure minimal waste and accurate I print output.

Harpal singh

Dircector-business development, ACG inspection systems pvt ltd

 the expiry date 2014 is unclear, then there are ample chances of ambiguity and. miscommunication. He says, "To be fair, with the production speed being so high there are chances of discrepancies. Thus, in this situation, we act as the last quality gate."

Optimistic future

At present, ACG Inspection caters to 13 countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, France, Jordan, Syria, US, Russia, Indonesia, etc. The company boasts that in holistic terms, there is no other company with similar services that cater to the entire spectrum. Singh says, "We are the only company in the country that encompasses everything from labelling to track and trace. We function from film inspection till track and trace following the footsteps of the Group (like capsule filling, tableting and packaging)." Singh adds that they are not into normal engineering, thus getting manpower is a bit difficult. He says, "It is a positive challenge. Since in our company, the scalability is so high augmenting success with adequate manpower is a difficulty. We are not into run-of-the-mill products, so it is also another type of challenge for us." Supporting the above thought, Mukund Krishna, Director- Technical, ACG Inspection Systems Pvt Ltd, reiterates, "We compete with the international standards. The world may talk about high-end technology, however, practically, there are structural problems. We have to customize ourselves to the Indian manufacturing segment."

There are also other hindrances. Singh avers, "People do not give quality the due importance. We will have to embed 'quality' as the primary concern in the mindset of people. Authorities like the US Food and Drug Administration (US PDA), UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA) are trying their best to better the situation. But as 80 per cent of the companies are into domestic manufacturing and do not export, such norms do not apply to them." Discussing the future plan of the company, Singh signs off saying, "We plan to venture into the food and beverage industry as this is another vital element for living."