Case Study: NTx cartoners deliver higher OEE and lower TCO for AstraZeneca

Dividella’s TopLoading NeoTOP x (NTx) cartoners have provided world-leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca with impressive results in vaccine manufacture and packaging during its 2015 season.

Dividella NTx cartoners delivered on Astra Zeneca’s core requirements for lower total costs of production and ownership (TCP/TCO) and high Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Background

AstraZeneca approached Dividella early in 2014 with requirements for a pair of cartoner lines to package its vaccines that would deliver high OEE with lower TCP and TCO than existing equipment.

Dividella consultants constructed a totally new Packaging and System Solution based on use of NeoTOP NTx machines. The whole solution was designed and delivered in time for the start of the 2015 manufacturing season.

“Our main challenge was to show AstraZeneca that a totally new solution was the best way forwards, delivering greater cost effectiveness over the medium to long term,” said Andreas Summer, Dividella Project Manager Engineering.

Outcome

The installation has met all of AstraZeneca’s tactical and strategic requirements.

“We have just finished our 2015 season campaign for manufacturing our Vaccine. Both of the NeoTOP x cartoners that we purchased, commissioned and qualified ran through the season very successfully. We have been able to extract the data from our OEE system to show downtime in terms of performance, availability and quality loss and found very favorable results when factoring out availability,” said Wilfredo Rivera, Senior Packaging Engineer at AstraZeneca Global Operations.

The Line 1 NTx cartoner was found to have an OEE of approximately 91% while the second line cartoner returned OEE of approximately 90%.

“I think this is a reflection of a fantastic product that we have received,” said Rivera, who identified design and craftsmanship of the Dividella cartoners, together with added value services such as project management, validation management, site support, Installation and qualification plus training as key success factors.

“When you factor the short timeline and changes to scope with this project it makes the final product and proven performance stand out even more,” he added.

“Every member of the Dividella project team demonstrated a true sense of ownership and knowledge in assuring our total satisfaction every step of the way in our journey to success; again I want to thank everyone on the team for the tremendously fantastic contributions they made to allow us a successful project outcome,” Rivera concluded.

For Dividella, Christoph Hammer, CEO Dividella AG said the main challenge had been keeping a complex project on track.

“From this project, two main learning points stand out: a convinced customer is a happy customer and that teamwork is all-important,” said Christoph.

NTx solution:

Dividella’s NeoTOPx TopLoading cartoner allows more rapid development of integrated packaging concepts and different pack formats, all of which can be packaged on NeoTOP machines equipped with feeds for different vial formats and leaflets.

The NTx can deliver lower TCO and TCP in several different ways:

• Reduced costs for cold-chain distribution due to ability to process highly defined and targeted batches
• Compatibility with monomaterial cartons, lowering total cost per package
• Ability to make fast format changes without tools, allowing packaging of different formats on one line
• Ability to respond more quickly to changing market requirements by simply retrofitting the existing machine with new or additional infeeding systems or modules
• Combining ability to process highly targeted customer-specific orders with capacity for hull scale high-speed production of large quantities

About Dividella

Swiss-based parenteral packaging specialist Dividella has built up an impressive reputation across the global pharmaceutical industry for the quality and effectiveness of its TopLoad cartoning machines. This success has been established on a holistic approach that recognizes that machine and pack design go hand in hand.

Dividella’s production units at Grabs in Switzerland exclusively design and manufacture machines for packaging pharmaceutical products, with total focus on the specific requirements of parenteral pack products, i.e. liquid pharmaceuticals that are packaged in syringes, flasks, vials, auto-injectors and the like. These are highly sensitive products that demand thoroughly developed solutions.

Dividella works in close consultation with its customers to develop optimal specific packaging concepts.

NeoTOP concept

Dividella’s TopLoading/ TopOpening concept recognizes that the best way to pack parenterals is to load medicine packs into the carton from above, which subjects the packs to less stress and also means that they can then be accessed more easily by the consumer from the top of the carton.

The TopLoading concept also recognizes that pack design, construction and appearance form significant added values for manufacturers, meaning that each pack deserves to be treated as a unique entity supported by optimized handling and a complete packaging design.

Therefore Dividella’s packaging designers are accustomed to working in close co-operation with the customer’s marketing departments to determine detailed specifications for individual packs and carton loading.

TOPLoading solutions by Dividella sare characterized by:

• Flat blanks for carton and partition – printable on all sides
• Safe automated erecting of pack
• Safe loading process (100% verification after loading)

This offers a variety of advantages for Pharma and Biotech companies and their customers, influencing the complete production and logistical process and having a positive effect on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Total Cost of Package (TCP).

Resources

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