That’s basically what Particle Inspection Technologies has done in coming up with its PIL-30 syringe inspection and labeling machine, developed in partnership with Luciano Packaging Technologies, Inc. The pharmaceutical company for whom the system was designed cannot be named. But the firm says the cost savings of an automated system compared with the previous manual method breaks down this way.
“Based on an average of 30 syringes/min needing to be inspected with an operator inspecting for 15 minutes then taking a five-minute break, 11 inspectors were required per shift to keep up with this volume. This minimum of 22 inspectors per day [two shifts] were additional head count, plus the hiring and training, labor costs, gowning costs, annual inspector vision exams, increased bioburden loading of the cleanroom, lunchtime breaks, etc. made the evidence pretty compelling that an automated approach had to be taken.”
