Lean And Clean: Blister Machines Allow Generics Maker To Run Small Batches Of Several Products

To respond to competition from lower-cost economics, Merck Generics (Potters Bar, UK) has been reducing costs and diversifying its production. "Over the last few years, there has been a drive toward lean production and just-in-time operations," says Paul Le Sueur, engineering manager at Merck Generics. "In the past, we used to keep large stockholdings of products and do batch sizes of 30,000. [Now,] it is not unusual for us to run a 1,000- or 1,500-pack batch," he says.

Smaller batch sizes mean more frequent changeovers. "Early on, Merck decided to reduce the number of blister profiles so that simple, dedicated size-changeover tooling could be used," says Le Sueur. His team needed a blister machine that was simple to set up and change sizes, and that could handle a wide range of products and forming materials efficiently. It had to be a compact machine, given the limited space in the packaging rooms.