Who better to run a machine an the people who built it? Doyen Medipharm hopes that will prove to be a winning sales pitch as it builds its business of contract packaging for medical devices. The 11-year-old company has branched from construction and sales of medical packaging machinery into packaging of gloves, dressings, transdermal patches, in-vitro test devices and other medical devices and equipment.

Currently, Doyen Medipharm’s contract packaging operation consists of two rooms at its facility in Lakeland, Fla., where equipment is shuttled in and out as needed. One room is designated the “cleanroom” and one the “dry room,” although in fact they both have washdown and air-filtration capabilities necessary to cleanroom operations. The company has recently received a large-scale contract to package alcohol-soaked pads; as a result, Doyen is adding a third, high-volume contract packaging area.
That customer contracts out all its manufacturing. Most packaging contracts are going to be for projects that are just getting under way, Doyen executives say.

By the time a product reaches a critical volume, pharmaceutical and medical companies “know what the product is, they know what it’s going to look like, they can justify assigning work stations,” says Ray Johnson, president of Doyen’s U.S. operations. “But the introductory volumes can be a complete goose chase. Why should they gear up and have FDA validation on an operation for 10,000 units? The market results could come back terrible, and they often do. Ninety percent of our customers are guys who hope the thing will go to a million units, but they don’t know if it ever will.”
Such small-volume customers can be roughly divided into two categories, says Martin Beriswill, vice president of operations. Some are at the beginning of the development process and need packaging for clinical trial samples. Others have received all the necessary approvals but can’t for the moment justify buying the packaging equipment outright.

Doyen is hoping that its experience and expertise as one of the leading manufacturers of medical-device packaging machinery will serve as a major attraction for con tract packaging customers. The company, whose revenues exceeded $10 million last year, started in 1991 as a sales agent for machine producers Bodolay Pratt and Datum Technical; it purchased Bodolay Pratt in 1995 and Datum in 1997.

Machine expertise

Doyen offers a basic line of five machines: The 4SS (four-side-seal) and the HDW (high-dwell wrapper) for gloves, dressings, sutures and other small devices; the MT2500 thermoformer for larger devices such as syringes, catheters, gowns and tubing; the GPM (glove packaging machine) for wrapping gloves and other devices in interior “wallets”; and the TD (transdermal), which infuses medicine into a membrane, then seals, die-cuts and packages it.

Making the machinery puts Doyen in a good position for contract packaging, which the company started offering in 2000. Customers who start out contract packaging have the option of bringing the Doyen machine in-house, once the product is established.

In some cases, the customer can actually buy the machine that was used to create market samples, saving a significant amount of time on machine delivery and process validation. This scenario happened just recently. “That machine had been used for market sampling of a new style of packaging that one of our customers was developing, and the market studies determined it was marketable,” Beriswill says. “After we ran the samples and they did their marketing evaluation, they came back and actually bought the machine.”

Streamlining the validation process is one of the biggest advantages of buying a machine, or an entire line, after it’s been operated by a contract packager. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires detailed validation for medical/pharmaceutical packaging; manufacturers who avoid going through the process twice gain a considerable advantage. (See accompanying article above.)

Quality is vital

Packaging of surgical and other medical gloves is one of the most common large-scale operations for Doyen customers, both machinery buyers and users of Doyen’s contract packaging services. Doyen claims to have a 90% market share of glove-packaging machinery. Malaysia, the site of Doyen’s Asian sales office, is also the site of extensive glove manufacturing operations, mostly due to its status as a leading producer of latex rubber.

Gloves are more or less a commodity item, meaning that costs must be held down at every stage of production and packaging for them to be competitive. Most gloves are packaged in an inner “wallet” of paper, either folded or fully splayed, and enclosed in flexible secondary packaging. This secondary packaging can be paper or film, depending on various customer considerations, including price points and sterilization method. (Most gloves are sterilized with gamma radiation, the quickest and least expensive alternative.)

Metron (NASDAQ:MTCH), the Outsource Solutions Company, today announced that it has acquired the assets of the Cleanroom Consumables business from Prudential Cleanroom Services, a business unit of Prudential Overall Supply, a world leader in cleanroom garment and laundry service systems. Metron took ownership of these assets effective June 13, 2003. Metron expects to pay for the acquisition via seller financing. Further terms of the agreement were not released.
Revenues from the Cleanroom Consumables unit of Prudential Overall Supply for the past twelve months were approximately $8.0 million. Prudential is a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, CA. Metron will employ 16 employees from Prudential.

With locations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Japan, Metron will be able to provide global customers with a single source for a full portfolio of cleanroom consumables. Metron represents cleanroom consumables to the worldwide semiconductor market as part of its Fab Solutions portfolio of products and services. Metron Fab Solutions target the critical non-core areas of the fab and include: Cleanroom Integrated Solutions, Field Service, Gas & Fluid Handling, Parts Management, Repair & Refurbishment, and Warehousing & Logistics.

In addition to the acquisition, Metron and Prudential have agreed to partner to offer cleanroom garments and full service laundry as an integrated solution to customers in the United States.
“We are pleased to expand our cleanroom consumables offering through this acquisition and to have the opportunity to partner with Prudential, a leader in cleanroom garment management,” said Dennis Riccio, president and COO of Metron. “This agreement is another important step in the formulation of our Fab Solutions business model. It allows us to leverage products and services across the U.S. and into global markets utilizing Metron’s worldwide Fab Solutions infrastructure.”

About Metron

Metron (NASDAQ:MTCH), the Outsource Solutions Company, is a leading global provider of marketing, sales, service and support solutions to semiconductor materials and equipment suppliers and semiconductor manufacturers. Metron provides outsource solutions that address the critical non-core area of the fab and include products and services such as materials management solutions, cleanroom services, specialty and legacy equipment, and facility maintenance. Metron outsource solutions enable customers to increase fab productivity and focus on their core competencies, such as product development, manufacturing and marketing. By partnering with Metron, suppliers can focus on product development and other core competencies while reducing their time to market using Metron’s global infrastructure. Metron is headquartered in San Jose, California, and is on the web at http://www.metrontech.com

About Prudential

Prudential Cleanroom Services is a division of Prudential Overall Supply, established in 1932. Since 1960, Prudential Cleanroom Services is recognized as a world leader in cleanroom garment laundry processing with a network of ISO 9002 certified service facilities throughout the United States, in Mexico and Malaysia. Prudential Overall Supply provides image apparel and facility image and safety programs to business including work uniforms, casual and career apparel, entry and logo mats, paper products and other ancillary products and services. Prudential has its headquarters in Irvine, CA and is on the web at http://www.prudentialcleanroomservices.com

Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Metron Technology to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2002 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended February 28, 2003. Metron Technology does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

BALTIMORE–Surging demand for bar-coding equipment has created shortages that have kept many Chrysler Corp. suppliers from meeting an Aug. 1 deadline to deliver all production parts with standard bar-code labels, a Chrysler official said last week.

The Chrysler edict this summer had been a leading move expected eventually to affect more than 20,000 suppliers to the Big Three automakers. But delays of up to three months in getting the necessary bar-coding equipment installed have been blamed in part by the roughly 40 percent of Chrysler suppliers who have still not reached compliance with the order, according to Raymond Mitzel, manager of advanced planning and methods in Chrysler’s procurement supply office.

Chrysler is hoping that percentage can be reduced significantly by early next year, when it plans to go on line with a company-wide mechanical receiving system employing the standard bar-code labels to replace manual check-in of parts.

Chrysler’s requirement is expected to be followed by all General Motors Corp. and possibly Ford Motor Co. plants by the beginning of the 1987 model year–moves which will affect more than 20,000 suppliers to the Big Three automakers.

Label standardization is already occurring at many of these plants, according to Iva Jeanblanc, manager, automatic identification systems, Moore Business Forms Inc., Glenview, Ill.

Development and full-scale implementation of a bar code label standard by the U.S. automotive industry, through its Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), is viewed as a major step in the growth of the automatic-identification industry, Jeanblanc said at the industry’s annual trade show and seminar, Scan-Tech’85.

He said that automakers and other manufacturers have found that bar coding is aiding implementation of other new technologies and practices, such as the just-in-time delivery concept.

Suppliers, meanwhile, are overcoming their initial resistance to having something forced on them with the realization that the standardization requirements by the automakers improves their own efficiency, he said.

Chrysler’s Mitzel, in fact, said that the potential benefits of the bar code label standardization may eventually prove to be greater for the suppliers than the automakers.

The first organization to adopt a broad-based industrial bar code standard was the Defense Department, which in 1982 began requiring suppliers to put bar codes on all goods shipped to a military installation, according to Automatic Identification Manufacturers Inc. (AIM), an industry trade group. The Defense Department is forecasting that by 1987, nearly 100 percent of all contracted goods will be labeled with bar codes, association officials said.

Other groups that have already developed standards or are at some stage of considering them for their industries include the Aluminum Association, the U.S. General Service Administration, and the National Welding Supply Association, which is considering a standard for the tracking of cylinders, according to AIM.

In addition to pushing and helping develop standards in these and other industries, the automatic identification industry is also continually developing new applications for bar coding and other automatic identification systems. Manufacturing is an area receiving particularly close attention.

“Some people say there are at least 100 possible applications in every manufacturing plant in the U.S.,” Jeanblanc said. “only about nine are now generally being used. That leaves 91 applications for us to go after.”

Manufacturing applications where bar coding has already found a niche include work-in-process, production counting, shipment verification, cycle counting and inventory tracking, according to Jeanblanc.

According to Richard A. McDonald, president of AIM and also president of Data Composition Inc., “bar coding has such appeal because its link with the use of computers in industry is, in effect, revolutionizing manufacturing processes.”

As an example of what installation of an automatic identification system can do for a company, AIM literature cites the case of an unidentified manufacturer of screws, bolts and fasteners for the automotive and building industries.

The manufacturer, according to AIM, was recording $23 million per year in unexplained production losses, and product identification and quantities were difficult to determine at inventory.

To help remedy its problems, the company installed bar code production “traveler tickets” that followed each container through the entire production process, and a system of recording scanners on scales to keep track of spoilage at each process. The firm also began to use bar-coded product identification labels with catalog number and quantity for inventory purposes.

While cost savings were not quantified, the company has now a production tracking system for cost auditing that follows it to pinpoint and correct the high spoilage production processes. The bar codes, meanwhile, are speeding up the manual inventory-taking and leading to an advanced inventory system in which each box is scanned into and out of inventory, according to AIM.

Supplied in 0.263 x 0.220 x 0.39 in. package with gold or tin wrap around terminations, RoHS-compliant DR331-5 inductors operate over -40 to +85*C range and offer EMI protection with inductance range of 1.2-330 [micro]H, [+ or -]20%. Designed for portable, compact, and miniature devices with high-density circuit board designs, products offer DCR range of 0.08-15 ohms max and current ratings from 2.1-0.13 A. Flat top design is compatible with high-speed pick-and-place assembly equipment.

Romoland, CA-November 2, 2006–Designers of small, compact or portable electronic equipment trying to pack lots of functionality into their layouts for printed circuit boards (PCB’s) will find the new low-profile DR331-5 Surface Mount Inductor from Datatronic Distribution, Inc., offers outstanding EMI protection performance and reliability in a miniature package.

The tiny DR331-5 surface mount inductor stands a mere 1-mm (0.39 inch) tall and is only 6.70 (w) -x- 5.60 (l) mm (0.263-x-0.220 inches). These inductors are ideal for a wide range of portable, compact and miniature devices, such as PDAs, mobile phones, portable hard drives, medical appliances, bar code scanners–wherever high-density circuit board design is a requirement.

To protect critical circuits from the dangers of EMI, the DR331-5 surface mount inductor features a wide inductance range from 1.2 to 330 uH, [+ or -]20 percent. The DCR range is 0.08 to 15 ohms maximum, and the current rating is 2.1 to 0.13 amps. They operate over a wide temperature range from -40 to +85*C, making them suitable for use in many rugged environments.

The DR331-5 surface mount inductors are designed with materials that meet the requirements for RoHS compliance. With their low-profile surface mount package design, high performance over a wide inductance range and rugged design, these inductors are ideal for use in a many different industries, including industrial controls, medical, instrumentation, telecom and computer.

The DR331-5 inductor’s flat top design makes it compatible with high-speed pick-and-place assembly equipment, and it is suitable for high-temperature soldering in accordance with J-STD-020C. The DR331-5 is available with either gold wrap around or tin wrap around terminations at no additional charge. They are shipped standard on tape-and-reel with 2,000 pieces provided per reel.

Custom designed DR331-5 inductors are available upon request to meet unique circuit requirements. The DR331-05 inductors are priced from $0.29 each in typical production volumes. Lead time is stock to six weeks. Volume OEM pricing is available upon request.

Datatronic Distribution, Inc. manufactures transformers, inductors, ADSL transformers, LAN filter modules and many other magnetic devices in custom packages as well as standard off-the-shelf packages.

At Abbott’s suburban Chicago headquarters, a “Hall of Fame” shadowbox sits in a random hallway of the packaging plant. A handful of plaques outline recent accomplishments, with space left for future recognitions.

“We’re a growing company,” says Patrick Killian, director of the Packaging Center of Excellence, Abbott.

That seems a bit modest, considering a recent onslaught of medical device acquisitions, an intimidating trail of awards and an extensive list of billion-dollar-generating drugs.

Life is good in Abbott Park, Ill. Total worldwide revenues increased by more than 13% from $19.7 billion in FY2004 to $22.3 billion in FY2005 and are expected to hit higher in 2006. Humira stole the show. The rheumatoid-arthritis medicine generated $1.4 billion in 2005 worldwide sales and should exceed Abbott’s expectations of $2.0 billion globally for FY2006. The Humira auto-injector pen, introduced mid-year, is helping to generate much-deserved positive attention.

The May 2004 spin-off of Hospira, Abbott’s global hospital products division, allowed the company to focus on expanding its advanced technology medical products. Expanding, of course, is putting it lightly.

Kos Pharmaceuticals (prescription products for chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases), TheraSense (diabetes test strips and glucose monitoring systems) and i-STAT (portable handheld test systems for hospital practitioners) are just a few names Abbott has recently added to its team portfolio. Medical products manufacturers now know that when Abbott comes knocking, it means business. Case in point: the recent acquisition of Guidant Corp.’s vascular and endovascular divisions.

Abbott found itself in the middle of an intense bidding war between Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson (Boston Scientific ultimately sealed the deal ha April for approximately $27 billion, with Abbott acquiring certain divisions). Although Boston Scientific has seen no financial return to date, Abbott walked away with a strong foothold in the $6-billion-a-year stent business.

Streamlining efforts and diversified teams in the packaging division have brought Abbott’s goals full circle.

By showing such courage and creativity through key acquisitions, successful new products and continued process improvements, Abbott has earned our Drug Packager of the Year honor for 2006.

Streamline, standardize

At Abbott, product innovation includes developing standards that provide brand uniformity and comfort to the customer, and executing these goals requires a diverse team. The Packaging Center of Excellence at the Abbott Park headquarters comprises 25 to 30 employees who oversee packaging initiatives for more than 15 pharmaceutical packaging operations worldwide.

The center brings together members of the package engineering group, packaging equipment organization, packaging commodities group, marketing and regulatory departments, and the manufacturing science and technology organization. Most recently, the center has been dedicated to increasing overall efficiency with standard packages and uniform labeling.

The standardization and streamlining of packaging created significant benefits all through the company, from purchasing to quality to operations to supply chain. The types and sizes of pharmaceutical packages for commercial distribution have been reduced from 14 or 15 bottles to three or four, and two or three standard blister designs. Abbott is also in the process of implementing standard enclosures, cartons and corrugate shippers.

The result? A significant reduction in costs. Fewer package types mean a higher volume of orders, but a smaller number of orders. And working with fewer suppliers for fewer commodities creates a bottom line benefit, says Jovo Dragicevic, manager of package engineering and development for Abbott’s global pharmaceutical operations.

Common commodities call for common equipment processes, which decrease changeovers at the plant level for Abbott and its suppliers.

Abbott’s recent string of acquisitions also brought new ideas to the design department and supply chain. “There are always opportunities to see how things are done differently and take some value from the synergies,” Dragicevic says.

A patient-focused design method runs through the arteries of the entire corporation. “We maintain an ongoing dialogue with our customers by conducting surveys and focus-study sessions with pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, chain drug store pharmacy directors and others to confirm our innovations bring value, improvement and convenience in real-world usage,” says Killian.

When conducting surveys for the recent standardization efforts, the packaging group included representatives from hospital, large chain and independent pharmacies.

“We don’t want to standardize something pharmacists don’t like,” Killian says. “We ask the questions up front–Do you like round bottles? Do you like this child-resistant feature?–before we make a commitment to say, this is the type of cap we’re going to use for the next five years.”

Quality assured

Standardizing packaging while keeping up with quality and compliance expectations is no small undertaking.

“First and foremost, Abbott’s packaging must comply with regulatory and quality requirements to ensure the end user gets high-quality, well-protected drugs with information that is clear to all end users–wholesalers, retail operations, doctors and patients,” says Lewis Sita, director of engineering for Abbott’s Global Pharmaceutical Operations division.

The pharmaceutical division is implementing a uniform labeling system to make it easier for the pharmacist to identify bottles when dispensing, and increase brand identity (see “Abbott’s packages focus on safety and comfort,” p.32, for more information). To reduce confusion for pharmacists in differentiating between bottles, the packaging team developed a color-coding process. The color bar on standard labels changes for every dosage strength and the color bars are different for each product family.

Quality assurance was also key in implementing the Physician-Labeling Rule, an initiative introduced in 2006 requiring simplified labels with important information prominently displayed. To comply with the new requirements, Abbott installed new printing equipment on six blister packaging lines in four different manufacturing plants and invested in equipment that included new on-line printing equipment. The investment also included new bar code verification equipment and scanners for each of the quality control organizations. Additional levels of validation and new procedures for bar code verification were established in each plant.

“It was piloted on one line at one plant, and then rolled out in phases to the other plants,” Dragicevic said. “This significantly accelerated and streamlined the installation and validation processes.”

Abbott expects the same high standards from its suppliers. Each year, Abbott acknowledges valuable suppliers with its Supplier Excellence Awards program. Supplier performance is assessed in the areas of logistics, quality, service, cost leadership and process improvement.

“Our suppliers take a lot of pride in receiving that award, and it’s one of the ways we build relationships with them,” Killian says.

Abbott doesn’t fall exception to market demands for radio frequency identification (RFID), making sure to stay on the cutting edge of anti-counterfeiting efforts. “We work very hard at staying current,” Killian says. “We have people who are specifically focused on this issue and making sure it’s all about comfort and patient safety.”

(For more information on anti-counterfeiting, see “Abbott’s packages focus on safety and comfort”, p.32.)

Fostering feedback

A diversified approach, from package design through to quality assurance, has been essential in keeping the creative juices flowing and promoting an innovative team. Streamlining and creating unified product delivery systems has done anything but stifle the flow of ideas. Feedback from all departments is encouraged.

Quarterly packaging forums are held that allow internal or external speakers such as consultants to discuss current issues. An idea generation program has also been implemented for employees to submit ideas on a regular basis. The ideas are reviewed by management and assigned to individuals to determine feasibility or viability of whether the idea meets business objectives.

One of the biggest challenges facing the packaging division is compliance packaging.

“Packaging can play a significant role in ensuring that critical information related to a particular product–for example, drug name, strength and dosing instructions–is provided in an easy-to-read format to help ensure patient safety, compliance with a prescription dosing schedule and reduce the risks of medical dispensing errors,” says director of engineering Sita.

They also provide significantly more billboard space than standard vials.

Compliance packages will continue to be a focus in the coming years, with an increasing drive to execute new developments as efficiently as possible.

“There’s a balance between standardizing and efficiency and innovation,” Killian says. “That’s a continuous challenge, to always be pushing the envelope with the customer and trying to meet their needs and still maintaining an efficient manufacturing workload so that you can provide cost-effective products.”

The Humira Pen encapsulates streamlining while keeping innovation at the forefront. The biologic was first introduced in 2003 in a revolutionary pre-filled syringe.

“It’s not a trivial thing to take monoclonal antibodies and modify them to make them liquid, and get them small enough to put them into a small entity to be able to be applied by a patient;’ says Erik von Borke, divisional vice president of immunology for Abbott.

The syringe successfully filled a gap in the marketplace, but project leaders didn’t stop there. They developed the Humira Pen, released in mid-2006, to eliminate the exposure of the needle and make it even easier to self administer.

“The Humira Pen has been very well received by patients and physicians, and has been recognized with the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Seal of Approval for its innovative design,” says Joe Julian, product development manager, Abbott. Around the office, Julian is affectionately referred to as “Mr. Humira Pen” because he was so instrumental in its development.

The team created a device that encased the existing pre-filled syringe. By designing an auto-injection device that could accommodate the primary pre-filled syringe, Abbott was able to save valuable development and validation time. (For more on the design of the Pen, see “Abbott’s packages focus on safety and comfort,” p.32. For a glance at Humira on the packaging line, see “At main plant, flexibility is the best medicine” p.36.)

Patient benefit inspired the package. “You ask, what do patients and physicians want? And you want something that doesn’t hurt, that is tolerable every time you take it,” von Borke says. “The patient gives you the idea for the design.”
Members of the Humira team visited physician offices and spoke with nurses and patients. They also looked at children’s toys, like Playmobil, for ideas on developing a package that’s easy to use. After creating multiple packages for the pen, the team conducted market research to find their winner. One design opened like a chocolate box; another had a bag as its secondary package.

“They told us, ‘This is over-engineered. I don’t have a good feeling using this if I just have to throw it away,’” von Borke says. “In the end, what we came out with was easy for the patient, easy for the supply chain.”

Abbott’s sustainability leadership continues with package optimization

Abbott’s commitment to environmental awareness is evident in the Global Pharmaceutical Operations division’s physician sample packaging optimization project. The variation in size, shape and overall appearance of samples has been streamlined, reducing waste while increasing brand identity. Lighter-board cartons with the same performance quality were implemented, and recycled board was introduced in select applications.

“It’s an ongoing process to evaluate and push back on our suppliers as well, in making sure that we are using materials that are sustainable” says Jovo Dragicevic, manager of package engineering and development for Abbott’s Global Pharmaceutical Operations division.

The bottled dairy drink Frijj is rapidly becoming more popular in the United Kingdom. Promoted as an “American-style fresh milk shake,” it’s already the category leader. Banana, strawberry and chocolate flavors come in bottles of 500 milliliters and 250ml, the former packed in multipacks of 6 and the smaller bottles in 12s and 24s.

Popularity has its price, and in this case it meant Gloucester-based Frijj maker Dairy Crest had to find ways to increase its line productivity or lose the growth advantage it had worked so hard to achieve.

A major part of achieving that productivity was adopting the new Harland Zeta print-and-apply bar code labelers made by Harland Machine Systems. The two applicators–which incorporate thermal transfer print engines from Zebra Technologies Corp.–are able to maintain print-and-apply speeds of between 35 to 40 packages per minute while placing labels with consistent accuracy.

“No other print-and-apply system we looked at could ensure consistent precision of label application at such speeds,” says Dairy Crest’s Milk Shake Department production engineering manager Andy Bonehill.

The dairy needed accurate placing of labels to meet European Article Numbering system (EAN) 128 bar code standards. EAN128 compliance was an essential element of the new equipment, as more and more of Dairy Crest’s supermarket customers have adopted the coding system. EAN128 enables supermarkets to directly unload product onto automated picking lines which scan the codes for transfer to the correct loading bay or store without operator involvement. For successful use, the bar code has to be in the same position on each type of pack.

The new units apply the bar code label exactly 25 millimeters from the top of each pack. A key to maintaining both speed and accuracy is a spring-loaded beak assembly which allows each label to be printed, fed, then held in front of the appropriate pack as it moves along the conveyor.

One additional benefit of the Zeta system that contributes to productivity is its easy set-up. Operators can quickly switch specifications for labeling of 6, 12 or 24 packs by selecting the appropriate pre-programmed software and adjusting the labeling head to the right preset pack height. The program capacity of the Zeta allows ample room for storage of labels for the basic product codes, flavors, variable prices and on-pack promotions and leaves plenty of room for new codes.

Dairy Crest installed two of the Harland units on dedicated post mountings over the Frijj lines. Mountings include a fine adjustment capability for operators–an important feature, since the EAN128 labels must be placed in exactly the same position on each pack. Changeover is so simple, according to Bonehill, that line operators routinely take care of it, with no need to delay to call engineering personnel.

Change is not something that occurs often in the golf car industry and when it does, you generally have to be a real insider to notice it. But when the people at Club Car realized that they could take incremental improvements only so far, they decided to get some fresh thinking from Detroit and completely change their product and process.

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Phillip J. Tralies, president and CEO of Club Car, Inc., describes the situation in the golf car industry as being similar to that of Detroit. There is a Big Three: Club Car (parent company: Ingersoll-Rand), E-Z-Go (parent company: Textron), and Yamaha. Like the automotive Big Three, there is geographic proximity: Club Car and E-Z-Go are both in Augusta, Georgia; Yamaha is further away, in Peachtree City, but still in Georgia. While this certainly isn’t Detroit/Dearborn/Auburn Hills, there is still a similarity in the comparative close grouping of the firms.

But there are distinct differences, too. For one thing, the golf car Big Three are actually the entire industry’s BIG Three: Tralies estimates that the three companies “represent 95% of all golf cars built and sold in the world.” That’s right: world. Of that 95%, E-Z-Go and Club Car account for 42% to 44%–each. Yamaha has the remainder. The five percent is handled by a variety of smaller companies. Detroit’s Big Three could only wish that they had such a grip on the market.

But like Detroit, there are some issues that need to be grappled with as regards changes in the market. Tralies points out that in the early 1990s there was a big boom in the development of golf courses. Real estate developers saw great opportunity to create communities attached to golf courses. Tralies notes, however, that by about 1995 the number of people who where taking up golf diminished, but the ardor of those developers went unabated. So there is an issue of the number of courses outstripping demand. In the golf car business, the primary customers are the courses, not individuals. This makes the market, however, different than what Detroit faces: instead of a multitude of individuals who need to be sold on the latest equipment, in the golf car industry it is far different. “If you took an average football stadium and put all of the golf car decision makers in it,” Tralies says, “it would look empty.”

There is another big difference between the golf car industry and the auto industry. It is a technological difference. Dave Hardy, who was executive program director, Special Projects, at Club Car, recounts, “One of the first jobs that I had when I came here in 1978 was designing the DS model. We introduced that model in 1980.” You can still buy the DS model. In fact, up until 2004, the DS model was the Club Car model. Hardy acknowledges that during the past 20 years there were a number of changes made to the DS model. For example, the body material started out fiberglass, then moved to SMC, then to a painted TPO. The basic styling stayed the same. The powertrain was redesigned. “They were evolutionary changes. It’s not that some of them weren’t dramatic improvements to the product, though.” Still, as Hank Sanders, who was vice president of Special Projects, points out, there is only so far you can go in terms of making product or process improvements when there is a fixed design. The structure becomes a limiting factor. As the golf car industry is as competitive as any, they were always looking for the ways to improve performance and to reduce production costs. “At some point you realize that if you want to make dramatic change, you have to change what you’re doing,” says Hardy.

There is a problem with the notion of dramatic change. Especially in the golf car industry. That’s because of the fleet sales (which are often leases, not direct sales). The typical course changes over about a third or so of its cars on an annual basis. Consequently, the status quo is comfortable from the points of view of maintenance (i.e., keeping things largely the same reduces the amount of difficulty for those who have to keep the cars running) and of the customers: having a fleet of vehicles that look the same means that one car is generally as good as another.

There are some other considerations to take into account. For one, Club Car is a build-to-order operation. So if they don’t have plenty of courses purchasing vehicles, they’ve got a serious problem. While they do build a variety of custom vehicles in their facility–”limousine-style” vehicles for the Japan market; trash haulers for Disney–the golf car is the primary product and so it has to be competitive. Consider an auto company dependent on a single model. What’s the likelihood that with even a modicum of success they’d ever modify that model?

But at Club Car they were up against the issue of making improvements beyond the incremental. Sanders had attended some seminars and learned about things like “lean design” and “flow manufacturing.” And he concluded that they were the sorts of things that, although becoming part of the process in places like Detroit, needed to come to the golf car industry. So he began to talk up the need for fundamental change at Club Car, the need to create something that was not restricted by what had come before, but which would allow the implementation of unencumbered thinking and of best practices. And he began to get converts. And eventually what was known as the “Cleansheet” project was born.

Available with thermal transfer or hot foil printing technology, off-line BDSV Series features vacuum transport system, which handles wide range of cartons, sleeves, blister packs, and leaflets. Units can print batch and production codes, expiration and sell-by dates, logos, barcodes, and other graphics. Accommodating carton blanks from 3.5 x 3.2 in. to 12.4 x 12.4 in., coders operate at speeds up to 295 fpm, handling up to 160 cartons/min.

anuary 3, 2007 - Norwood Marking Systems / Allen Coding Systems introduces the versatile BDSV Family of Carton Coders. Available with either thermal transfer or hot foil printing technology, these off-line carton coders feature a vacuum transport system, which maximizes equipment flexibility by reliably handling a wide range of cartons, sleeves, blister packs and leaflets at high production speeds.

Unlike traditional off-line carton coding systems that use belt drives to transport product, the BDSV transports product from the hopper through the printhead with a vacuum drive. The vacuum transport system enables the BDSV to handle complex shapes, odd sizes and thinner material while achieving excellent registration. Unlike belt roller systems, which necessitate a “dead area” within the print area, the vacuum drive allows print anywhere within the capability of the print head.
The BDSV handles carton blanks from 3.5 x 3.2 inches (90 x 80 mm) up to 12.4 x 12.4 inches (315 x 315 mm) in size. If equipped with Norwood / Allen’s NX4 thermal transfer printer, the BDSV can achieve a print area as large as 4.20 x 3.54 inches (107 x 90 mm). If equipped with Norwood / Allen’s 60/35S hot stamp printer, the BDSV can produce a print area up to 2.4 x 1.4 inches (60 x 35 mm).

Rapid product changes can be accomplished quickly and easily with the BDSV’s adjustable feeder and position indicators. A product size change can be made in only two minutes with no tools and no change parts required. Machine parameters such as speed, index length and batch quantity are easily changed via the keypad.

The high speed BDSV operates at speeds of up to 295 feet (90 m) per minute, handling up to 160 cartons per minute. The BDSV can print batch and production codes, expiration and sell-by dates, logos, barcodes and other graphics, depending on the capabilities of the printhead that is integrated.

This compact off-line carton coder sits on castor wheels so it can be easily moved from one area to another. Manufactured from stainless steel and anodized aluminum, the BDSV meets the needs of the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemical industries. The system comes standard with a batch counter and low foil warning with auto stop.

Norwood / Allen can equip the BDSV Carton Coder with a wide range of options. Bar code

scanners/verifiers, blob detectors, vision inspection and print verification assure the highest quality product. The extra-long BDSVL can be fitted with multiple printheads so a single run on a four-printhead system achieves the same results as four passes on a single-printhead system.

About Norwood Marking Systems / Allen Coding Systems / Kingsley Machine Company

Norwood Marking Systems, a division of Illinois Tool Works, has been at the forefront of innovation since developing the world’s first hot stamp imprinters for the food industry over 45 years ago. Kingsley Machine Company has also led the way, having patented its first hot stamp imprinter in 1932. Joining the ITW family in 2006, Allen Coding Systems is a leading U.K. manufacturer of overprinting equipment. Today, Norwood, Allen and Kingsley continue as market leaders, designing and manufacturing a range of innovative thermal transfer printers, hot stamp imprinters as well as ink and embossing printers that code and mark for a wide variety of industrial markets worldwide.

Capable of reading 1D symbologies and PDF-417, PowerScan[R] 7000BT Standard Range Imaging (SRI) handheld scanner is suited for package handling and tracking, warehouse, shipping and receiving, manufacturing shop floor, and other applications. Ergonomic industrial design exhibits shock-resistance and is sealed against water and dust ingress. Cordless bar code scanner offers read rates to 500 scans/sec and has base station with multiple interface architecture.

EUGENE, Ore., Jan. 3 - PSC Inc., an international market leader in data-collection technology, is proud to announce the expansion of the successful PowerScan(R) industrial scanner series with the introduction of the PowerScan(R) 7000BT Standard Range Imaging (SRI) handheld scanner. This new cordless model builds upon the same reliable, industry leading technology used in the PowerScan(R) 7000 SRI scanner and the PowerScan(R) 7000 2D Imager, both announced earlier this year.

For industrial users who need a high performance, rugged and durable cordless handheld bar code scanner, the PSC PowerScan 7000BT standard range linear imaging scanner offers best-in-class performance and features. It is perfect for package handling and tracking, warehouse applications, shipping and receiving, manufacturing shop floor and other demanding applications - both indoors and out.

“With read rates of up to 500 scans per second, and industry leading standard range depth-of-field, the PowerScan 7000BT SRI scanner offers the improved snappiness, enhanced durability and extended reliability of a linear imaging scanner,” said Nick Tabet, PSC’s Vice President of Handheld Scanning. “With direct connectivity to a wide variety of devices using Bluetooth(R) wireless technology, this high performance scanner provides great application flexibility and unsurpassed value.”

Key product features include an ergonomic industrial design; industry leading shock-resistance, water and dust sealing; high performance reading of 1D symbologies and PDF-417; connectivity to a wide array of Bluetooth(R) wireless technology enabled devices; and a base station with multiple interface architecture.

About PSC Inc.

PSC Inc., a subsidiary of Datalogic S.p.A., is a global provider of automatic data-capture technology, products and services. PSC leads the market with flexible, responsive customer service and innovative equipment. PSC products and services support multiple industries throughout the supply chain/distribution channel including retail, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and warehousing sectors.

A fixed-mount bar code scanner takes the guesswork out of product setup with a pushbutton system. The MS-860’s button on the side of the unit saves time by automatically activating setup. The button can also be used to initiate user-definable features, including auto framing.