How banding with an integrated printer can enhance your operations

With strict track and trace requirements in place, the packaging industry has been challenged with continually developing solutions that comply with regulations without compromising patient recognition of pharmaceutical brands. But, did you know a banding system with an inline printer can solve packaging, branding and tracking needs all at once? Be it a logo, a lot number or a lawsuit-preventing message, adding an inline printer to your Felins solution helps bring pharmaceutical products to market faster and more flexibly.

Here’s a quick overview of only a FEW benefits of enhancing your banding system with an inline printer:  

Reduced waste

Many companies purchase rolls of material pre-printed with variable data – dates, barcodes, names – for each product run. But, if material runs out, production is halted until more material can be printed. Or, if too much was ordered, any leftover material is unusable, resulting in both cost and material waste. An inline printer is the perfect solution for printing variable data on bundles without slowing production or wasting pre-printed material. Why? Because you’ll reduce waste by printing on the exact number of bundles needed without worrying about having too little or too much material.

That’s not all! Variable data can be combined with integrated printing, eliminating the need for several labels. For example, rather than using excess material, technologies and/or packaging steps for patient identification information, product classification, and batch date, an inline printer can quickly print all necessary data on a band in one quick step so you can save time, material, and resources!

Tamper-proof packaging

With fully-adjustable tension, every banding system can create strong, secure holds for tamper-proof bundles. And, with optional tandem banders or cross-bands, bundles can be made as tight as desired. This way, bundles are protected against counterfeit drugs.

By being as secure as possible, bundles are not only tamper-proof, they help ensure the prescribed dosage of certain bundles is used by medical professionals and staff members without any amount, more or less, used at one time.

Serialization

Documentation of production has never been easier than it is with integrated printing. Batches can be serialized and packaged in the same step, making transparency of product origin a seamless part of the packaging process. This is especially important when it comes to product classification and date stamping. Why? Because…

1. Products can be marked appropriately to make it nearly impossible for them to be replaced with counterfeit drugs.
2. Previously, in the case of a recall, pallets upon pallets of inventory were discarded because products lacked information on production dates. Now, with the ability to identify specific production batches by the printed details, it’s easy to know which product needs to be removed from shelves and which can remain in the field.  

Inventory management

Integrated printing doesn’t only have benefits associated with transportation and safety. Printing barcodes, QR codes or other identifying data on each band can help improve inventory management at every stage of the supply chain. That means whether product is in the hands of the manufacturer, customer or distributional medical staff, it can be tracked, traced, and quickly identified with just one code.

Your bottom line

Ultimately, inline printing and banding can make your process as efficient and sustainable as possible. With semi- and fully-automated systems available, banding with an inline printer combines several packaging steps by bundling and labeling at once.

That’s not all! By combining several steps into one, banding can help you save on time, money and labor costs and let you focus more on optimizing throughput without compromising bundle quality and product safety.

Ready to explore the world of banding? Contact us to schedule a demo with our Automation Sales Manager - Healthcare and learn more about how Felins can enhance your operations!