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I N D U S T R Y 16 May 2019 Tablets & Capsules a p p l i c a t i o n PCI Pharma expands bottling capacity to meet customer demand PCI Pharma Services (PCI), Phil- adelphia, PA, is a full-service pro- vider of specialized manufacturing, clinical-trial, and commercial-pack- aging services to the global bio- p h a r m a c e u t i c a l i n d u s t r y . T h e company provides clinical and com- mercial packaging services for a diverse portfolio of products and specialized delivery forms, includ- ing solid oral dose, powders, semi- solids, parenterals and injectables, with specialization in potent com- pounds, cold-chain products, con- trolled substances, and biologics. Advanced technology and contin- ued investment enable the company to address clients' development needs throughout the drug-product life cycle—from phase I clinical trials through commercialization and ongoing supply. "Our clients view us as an exten- sion of their business and a collabo- rative partner, with the shared goal of improving patients' lives," said Justin Schroeder, PCI's senior exec- utive director of global marketing and design. In March 2018, PCI began con- struction on a project to expand the bottling-line capacity at its commer- cial packaging site in Rockford, IL. "Both IMA and Antares Vision have been great partners to our business for many years, offering best-in-class technologies and pro- viding a platform for consistency in our business," said Schroeder. "And both provide great insights into best practices and uses of innova- tive technology, along with atten- tive support for ongoing service and equipment maintenance." PCI chose IMA's Uniline inte- grated counting system for the bot- tling line expansion. The Uniline is a monoblock machine that com- bines desiccant insertion, tablet counting and bottle filling, cotton insertion, and capping in a compact footprint. The machine requires no product or bottle change parts, so it allows operators to introduce new products quickly. "We designed the line for maxi- m u m f l e x i b i l i t y , " s a i d S t e w a r t Harvey, president of IMA North America. "The highly automated changeover and minimal change parts provide very quick change- over and high overall equipment e f f e c t i v e n e s s . T h e s y s t e m a l s o includes advanced tablet-counting technology that—along with the tracking of all quality attributes The Rockford site is the biggest in the company's 20-facility global net- work and includes both commercial and clinical primary and secondary packaging, powder blending and manufacturing, and on-site analytical laboratory services, as well as logisti- cal services for clinical trials, includ- ing storage and global distribution. The site features expansive cold- chain and ultra-cold support as well as DEA Schedule I through V con- trolled-substance support. "PCI continually invests in new equipment and technology to keep pace with demand, ensuring we offer our clients an 'on-demand' solution to maximize our ability to service their needs," said Schroeder. "Often, cli- ents require a rapid response to increases in market demand—spikes in the allergy or flu season, for exam- ple—so providing ample capacity is paramount to our mission." The goal of the Rockford expan- sion was to add primary and second- ary packaging operations equipped with high-speed tablet filling and car- toning with in-line serialization and aggregation. The company turned to IMA North America to supply the bottling lines and to Antares Vision for the serialization equipment.