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Article by:
McCluskey, Laura
When launching
a new pharmaceutical product, there is virtually no margin for error.
Researchers and compliance staff members must tabulate and crosscheck
the results for accuracy and proper documentation with patients'
lives at stake.
For pharmaceutical
testing, sequentially numbered barcodes play a key role in ensuring
accuracy of test results. They contain the information used to determine
each patient's results in live testing, and to enable the database
to account for those receiving a placebo.
Confidence in
barcode verification has an added value for the customers of Tag
& Label Corp., Anderson, S.C., a division of Advanced LabelWorx,
Inc., one of the largest's privately held flexographic printing
companies in the U.S. A growing number of customers require the
printed label to be ANSI grade B quality level or better to ensure
the accurate recording of critical information.
Tag & Label
is able to deliver on-target labels with the help of an in-line
Integra 9000 ANSI-grade barcode verification system from Label Vision
Systems, Inc. The system verifies the grade of each barcode (up
to 60 labels/sec) as it passes under the read head, which relies
on a Unilux Lith-O-Light LOL 2Þ. The system enables the company
to verify 100 percent compliance with specifications, while eliminating
time-consuming redundancies, such as rewinding rolls for inspection
and sampling to verify the accuracy of an entire roll.
Before purchasing
the Integra 9000, Tag & Label would sample barcodes by hand
periodically in an offline process and use the sample to certify
the entire run. Now, the company guarantees each label in a much
more efficient production scheme.
Real-time
removal
By
locating the system between the press and the slitter/rewinder,
operators identify out-of-spec labels in real-time and remove them
from the roll.
The Integra
read head is composed of a CCD camera and the LOL 2Þ stroboscopic
inspection light. Data from the read head is processed by a desktop
PC, programmed to measure edge determination, minimum reflectance,
symbol contrast, minimum edge contrast, modulation, blemishes, quiet
zone, decodability and opacity. It supports six sets of symbols.
Tag & Label
uses 7-in.-wide Mark Andy 2200 flexographic presses and a 16-in.-wide
Mark Andy 4100. Production speeds range from 150 to 200 fpm, depending
on print requirements. With 10-color capability, plus varnishes
and UV coatings, the ability to verify each label without slowing
speeds is critical to maximizing productivity.
Streamlined
operation
Several
steps can be combined into one integrated function, which reduces
waste and increases efficiency while freeing up resources to accomplish
other tasks at hand, says Steven Cramer, quality manager for Tag
& Label. It is now able to print an entire four-up label, inspect
the barcode and remove defective labels before slitting and packaging
an entire run in one continuous line. Before, it had to print blanks,
imprint it with variable data, slit it to one-up and run it through
the verification system.
As a result
of the integrated system, it is able to offer more of its customers
ANSI barcode grading at a little cost increase to customers and
a huge increase in Tag & Label's confidence, Cramer says.
Enhanced inspection
capability also helped Tag & Label reduce its cycle time for
custom label products from three or four weeks to a matter of days.
Reduced cycle time enables the company to take jobs such as orders
for 500,000 labels on short notice and work them into their schedule
more efficiently.
Verified barcodes
not only enable pharmaceutical companies to maintain accurate records,
they also enable the companies to demonstrate "good management"
in the event of a label audit by the Food & Drug Administration.
"Guartanteed verification is becoming a bigger economic issue
in the retail field because retailers are better able to quanitfy
the benefits of bar-code scanning to speed up lines at the cash
register and manage inventories," says Cramer.
For quality
managers, like Cramer, who need to quantify the benefits of flawless
product and maximized productivity, the computerized, strobe-based
system combines the speed and consistency the company needs to solidify
its leadership position in a niche market.
Avoiding
costly mistakes
To
emphasize the importance of accurate barcodes, a number of nationwide
retailers are penalizing printers for errors.
"One discount
department store chain has collected over $27 million in penalties
from their vendors over the past five years," says Daniel G.
Kubon, president of Label Vision Systems. "At the same time,
a national pharmacy chain has calculated that one erroneous UPC
can cost in excess of $8,000 direct costs and double that in intangibles,
such as the deterioration of customer service. That chain has instituted
a cost recovery charge of $5 per non-scanning item UPC multiplied
by the number of stores stocking the item."
Kubon noted
that a number of discount department stores have penalty schedules
based on a formula that takes into account the number of times it
supplies defective barcodes and the cost of compensating for that
defect in store operations. He also states that a national auto
parts retailer has developed a schedule of penalties based on their
purchasing volume and the degree of the problem created by a bad
barcode.
Product
Information:
LVS® 9000 Data Sheet (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader).
More information:
Label
Vision Systems, Inc.
101 Auburn
Court
Peachtree City, GA 30269
1-800-432-9430
+1 770-487-6414
www.lvs-inc.com
Unilux Inc.,
59 N. Fifth St., Saddle Back, NJ 07663, 800/522-0801, www.unilux.com
Mark Andy,
Inc., Box 1023, Chesterfield, MO 63006, 800/700-6275.
Converting
Magazine, Dec. 1999 v17 i12 70(1)
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