Roche turns to Tycon
To meet rising production demands for Xenical, its oral weight loss drug, Roche Pharmaceuticals has installed an integrated IBC filling and discharge station from Tycon Containers. The new system aims to overcome problems associated with handling wet, bulk powders and to increase output at Roche's Clarecastle plant in Ireland.
Product is automatically fed from filters directly to the IBCs, which are mounted on a weigh platform. Wet powder leaving the filters is stored in the IBCs prior to discharge into dryers and second stage processing.
The IBCs are presented to the docking station, which incorporates the BPK cone valve automated discharge system – the pulsing cone device maintains the undisturbed free flow of the damp product, preventing downtime due to bridging and blocking of the discharge outlet. The BPK system enables metered discharge of the powder while the security of the valve seal allows part or full container discharge as required.