“ It all began with a basic sketch… this solution presents to other pharmaceutical companies Uhlmann Sales Manager Christian Rotter tells us about a complex yet uncomplicated project and the benefits Mr Rotter, how did the first Octapharma contract come about? Our initial contact at the trade fair was soon followed up with a first meeting in Dessau, where we brought little more than a line drawing with us. Then after that we had a reference visit to one of our customers. As soon as Hermann Krenn, Head of PMO VI&P at Octapharma, and Thomas Braun, Head of Tool Setter had seen one of our lines in action, any initial skepticism that they couldn‘t afford an „Uhlmann“ was quickly dismissed. Because each individual line incorporates so much technical expertise, so much experience, which pays off in daily packing tasks: The customer is provided with a turnkey solution that suits their requirements to the smallest detail, in which all the components work in perfect harmony. How did the project progress from there? It was all blissfully uncomplicated. Manfred Groß and his team did a fantastic job. During the construction phase, in particular, our experts de- monstrated the true extent of their skills, their innovative prowess and also that they can implement it all exactly as planned. Before we had even delivered the line, we were commissioned for another job for Octapharma‘s packaging and logistics center – which, I think, speaks volumes. How might this line with the LiPro feeding system in the cartoner appeal to other customers? Firstly, it allows complex pack shapes such as combina- tion blisters made from prefabricated and additional elements to be realized inside the cartoner itself. And secondly, it enables us to respond to the ever growing demand for environmentally-friendly, plastic-free packing of parenteral products directly into folding cartons. Christian Rotter Sales Manager Phone +49 7392 702-6237 Mobile +49 151 4224 1941 rotter.c@uhlmann.de Finally, all components are pushed into the folding carton at once. The team, led by Project Manager Manfred Groß, rose to the challenge of this complex brief with a highly automated, non-stop packing process, including inspection systems at all relevant positions. Reliable, gentle and automated Automated: Separation of blister sheets. Shipping cartons with prefabricated, pre-filled and sealed blisters are brought to the robotic cell by conveyor belt. On the shaped side of the blisters is an indentation for the vial to be inserted. The Stäubli TX90 takes one sheet per pick and places the blisters upside down on a conveyor belt. Added productivity: The robot has a dedi- cated gripper for each of the two blister formats and switches between them inde- pendently. In the downstream rotating chute, the blisters are rotated through 180° and transferred to the C 2155 cartoner. Fast and precise: Placement of blisters. If the blisters are lying in uneven rows on the conveyor belt, a VisioRead camera identifies the exact position of each blister closeup04 I 2021 03 I 05