Europharma Alliance: contract manufacturer relies on format parts expertise from Uhlmann
Everything is firmly in place and you are anxiously awaiting the order - and when it arrives, things have to move very quickly - but the same time, prices have to remain competitive and performance high. The managers of Europharma Alliance, one of the fastest growing contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) in Poland, are well aware of the requirements faced by contract manufacturers, where the short-term procurement of format parts, high levels of productivity and economical overall costs rank highly among the many challenges.
According to its own information, Europharma Alliance is the fastest growing contract manufacturer of dietary supplements in Poland. At its production site in Rzeplin, south of Wrocław, around 110 employees produce and package nutraceuticals. The strong growth since the company since its foundation in 2017 is reflected in the expansion of the production capacities.
"For our further growth, we needed a fast, reliable and easily convertible blister line. With space is being limited at our facility, we were looking for a compact line with high output. We requested various quotations but unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were unable to visit the factories and see the lines in operation. This meant that we had to rely on feedback from our industry contacts. We finally opted ort he BEC 300 from Uhlmann as it met our requirements in terms of size and output and was highly recommended by other Polish pharmaceutical manufacturers,“ reports Jacek Kiedrowski, Chief Technologist at Europharma.
The BEC 300 blister line is a compact combination of a blister machine and cartoner that is extremely reliable and easy to operate. Format changes can be carried out by one person in less than 30 minutes - important for a CMO that is looking for high Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
"The high performance of the blister line and the know-how of the Uhlmann team also convinced us online. Another important factor was Uhlmann's format parts expertise. It is really crucial for us to have high-quality format parts on site in the shortest possible time when we receive a new order. Here, too, Uhlmann’s swift response times were a positive," says Jacek Kiedrowski.
In January 2022, the BEC 300 started its journey from the Uhlmann headquarters in Laupheim to Rzeplin, 780 kilometers away. Once there, the Uhlmann team supported the commissioning and trained the operating personnel on-site. "Our team is enthusiastic about the line. Product changes work smoothly because the process is simple and clear. Forming and lidding films can be changed in no time at all during production. The BEC 300 runs in an extremely stable manner, with very good performance and offers high safety standards. Our operators appreciate the clear control panel with the graphic display of the individual system components. In short, everything is fast, simple and fun to work with," reports Jacek Kiedrowski.
A few months after the start of production, Europharma placed the first format part order. "We were curious to see how fast Uhlmann would be and we were not disappointed. TopTool, Uhlmann's format parts service, gives us the opportunity to start new orders at short notice and offer our customers excellent service," emphasizes Jacek Kiedrowski. "We have found a partner who understands our challenges and supports us with its experience."