Neopac Sets a New Standard for Pharmaceutical Tube Production

With the new tube line, Neopac has gone to new heights in terms of a unique quality approach. The tubes are mostly manufactured in the clean room, i.e. under perfectly hygienic conditions.

2/18/2011 --- Following an upswing in customer demands early in the New Year, we implemented a new tube line that has enabled us to produce approximately 60 million tubes a year under clean-room conditions. The line has also helped us renew our commitment to providing our customers the highest level of protection and safety.

All of the new tube line processes are thoroughly documented and validated. The entire production process is permanently supervised using a live-monitoring technique. The plant was constructed in collaboration with a highly renowned pharmaceutical engineering company. But it was no routine task even for these specialists: “Neopac has introduced unique technology for this particular project,” explained the Project Managers. “The construction of this type of plant normally involves standard applications and processes. But not this time. Instead, the focus of this line was on a unique manufacturing process and a risk assessment was carried out at all stages in the operating chain. That means we accurately analysed the potential impact of certain events and made every effort to minimise risks during implementation.” This benefits our pharmaceutical clients and, more recently, also those in the medical sector in which we have specialised alongside cosmetics and dental products. “We know the demands and requirements of our niche market,” confirmed CEO Hans Jordi. “Therefore we know that flawless quality and safety procedures are top priority as far as our customers are concerned.”

Unique level of quality
With the new tube line, Neopac has gone to new heights in terms of a unique quality approach. The tubes are mostly manufactured in the clean room, i.e. under perfectly hygienic conditions. That is by no means standard practice in this particular branch of industry: “Many competitors carry out only a certain number of processes under clean-room conditions,” explained Hans Jordi. “With our new tube line, all of the stages are carried out in the clean room – from cutting and moulding the laminate through to the finished tube. Our hygiene records are on a par with those of hospital operating rooms.” Or, as Quality Manager, Thomas Kaufmann puts it: “In terms of hygiene, you could perform open heart surgery in our new tube line premises!” Small pharmaceutical tubes and single-dose tubes are mostly manufactured on the new production line. These tubes are chiefly used for eye ointments, veterinary health products and for other pharmaceutical applications. “Our new tube line covers our customers’ stringent requirements in terms of hygienic small tubes for semi-solid and liquid pharmaceutical forms in the Pharmaceutical and also Medical segments,” Hans Jordi continued.
 
60 million small Polyfoil tubes per year
We have invested approximately 13.6 million Swiss Francs in the new system and clean room concept. The plant produces around 60 million small Polyfoil tubes per annum operating on a three-shift manufacturing process. Thanks to their excellent barrier properties and aesthetically pleasing characteristics, these tubes are ideal for the protection and presentation of highly sensitive products.