Sharp has announced an investment of $10M in equipment capabilities to support client demand in the biologics and injectables market.
It includes two Dividella NeoTopx packaging systems, one intended for the company’s Allentown facility in the US and the other for its Hamont-Achel site in Belgium.
The NeoTopx system is an automated top-loading cartoner that can pack vials, syringes, pens/autoinjectors and multi-component kits. The company says it's particularly suited to small-batch production and offers accelerated speed to market. Its able to deliver large standardised packaging runs for vaccines, providing the company further capacity to meet global demand with the support of its harmonised serialisation platforms.
Jeff Benedict, CCO at Sharp, said: “Sharp has seen sustained demand for our packaging capabilities from clients across the biotech industry. The sector is increasingly focused on developing treatments for orphan diseases as well as personalised therapies and these are driving a need for more flexible and smaller batch capabilities in the packaging space.
“Investing in these new Dividella’s will allow us to offer greater capacity to clients both in the US and in the EU, for the secondary packaging of vials, pen devices, syringes and multicomponent kits as well as medical devices and blisters.”
The modular cartoners offer flexibility in production line design and the top-loading function enables visibility for each component.
The Dividella system supports Sharp's sustainability initiative due to the full cardboard designs of the packs produced which reduce the use of plastic blisters.
The Allentown site is also installing a NJM Courser 230 vial and syringe labeler which offers toolless changeover to reduce downtime between batches.
Mr Benedict added: “Through our parent company UDG Healthcare, we have continued to invest in capabilities and services to stay ahead of the future needs of our clients. This latest wave of investment will position us to support this on-going demand.”
