Domino and Intrex deliver traceability technology to Aspen Pharma Europe

Domino Printing Sciences and its Polish distributor Intrex have delivered a fully integrated, high-speed serialized coding machine for Aspen Pharma Europe's bottle filling and packaging line in Bad Oldesloe, Germany.  

The product includes Domino’s V320i thermal transfer overprinter (TTO) and U510 UV laser, provides fully integrated high-speed traceability coding, alongside automated machine vision and rejection. 

Aspen, a global pharmaceutical company operating in more than 50 countries, has a strong 170-year heritage specializing in the production of sterile, oral solid dose, liquid, semi-solid, and biological pharmaceutical products, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Domino has worked with Aspen for many years via Intrex. 

Aspen approached Intrex for an integrated, serialized labelling and coding, and quality control solution for a bottle filling and packaging line running at 150 bottles per minute. The company was looking for a complete solution from a single supplier, with all equipment easily managed from a single human-machine interface for seamless usability.  

Felix Rief, head of laser and extraction, Domino, said: ‘Strict regulatory serialization requirements in the global pharmaceuticals industry dictate that only perfectly coded products can enter the supply chain. Manufacturers risk significant fines and loss of business if sub-standard products leave the factory unnoticed. For Aspen, finding a solution that would offer high-quality labeling and on-product coding, alongside integrated machine vision to ensure the quality of each finished bottle, was imperative.’ 

The final design includes a V320i TTO for producing serialized traceability labels for HDPE pharmaceutical bottles. An automated machine vision system provides quality control of each label, ensuring that correctly coded labels are dispensed onto the bottles while defective labels are automatically rejected. The base of each bottle is then marked with a Domino U510 UV laser, with a code used for allocation and stock control in Aspen’s warehouse. As a final step, the base codes are checked by a second machine vision system, ensuring that only perfect bottles go into the supply chain. 

Stefan Klöpping, managing director Intrex Germany, said: ‘To allow our customers to control the entire process in a user-friendly manner via one screen, all components are integrated into a single user interface. Modern software communication is crucial for this type of integration; that’s why we integrate Domino’s printing technologies.’ 

Thorsten Hadwiger, project manager at Aspen, added: ‘The beauty of the overall concept is that all software is cooperated via one HMI. We are very, very satisfied with the collaboration with Intrex and Domino, to allow us to receive a complete package from a single source.’