CASE STUDY: 4SS Packaging Solutions
Quidel Corporation ist internationaler Marktführer in schnellen Diagnosetests. Von ihrem Hauptsitz in San Diego, Kalifornien, aus vertreiben sie ihre QuickVue Produkte weltweit. 
Die Herausforderung
Quidels Produktreihe von hoch entwickelten Diagnosegeräten ist höchst feuchtigkeitsempfindlich, und benötigt ein perfektes Siegel. Der kleinste Mangel im Verpackungssiegel kann es Feuchtigkeit ermöglichen einzudringen, was die Teststreifen in ihrer Kassette unbrauchbar macht.
Quidel suchte eine Vierrand-Siegelbeutelmaschine, die den Anforderungen von hoher Siegelintegrität, validierbaren Siegelparametern und schnellem Produktwechsel entsprach.
Doyens Lösung
Doyens 4SS Vierrand-Siegelbeutel Verpackungsmaschinen hat die Dauer eines Produktwechsels von einer Beutelgröße zur anderen um über fünf Stunden reduziert, drastisch Abfall des Verpackungsmaterials und Ausfallzeiten reduziert, und das Risiko von Feuchtigkeitsübertragung auf den Teststreifen eliminiert. Über die letzten 10 Jahre hat Doyen drei seiner 4SS Maschinen an Quidel geliefert.
Feedback
(as published in Packaging Digest, Cahners Business Information, August 1999)
Quidel's Jay Strandberg, Material Specialist and Warehouse Group Leader, explains that the Food and Drug Administration currently requires these non invasive products to have 100-percent validatable package seals or validated packaging equipment. "Because the four-side sealer can validate seal integrity, we're ensured the pouch seals out moisture."
"These are vast improvements from the past", Strandberg says. "Our former equipment took between two and six hours to change over from one package size to the next." "Considering the many package stock stockpilings, this cost the firm plenty in downtime." "Today, we save days' worth of downtime," Strandberg says.
In some cases, Quidel's machines could be changed over as often as three or four times a day depending on schedules and on what was being changed. "We've regained much of that downtime capacity," Strandberg continues. "Now it takes seconds to call up something in memory."
There were other equipment choices available, Strandberg tells PD. "We looked at form / fill / seal equipment and tested some other flow wrap machinery with our pouches. The test pouches leaked or didn't prevent adequate moisture vapor transmission. One reason we chose the 4SS machine was that it was the only one that could hold the seal integrity we were after." "Maintaining the 18- to 24- month shelf life of the kits, the pouches prevent almost all moisture penetration." "We haven't had a 'leaker' with this machine," Strandberg adds. "We're very impressed because of the high degree of validation the machine provides. It can validate all sealing parameters. The seal integrity is vastly improved on these packages."
Building new strategies, Quidel is poised to take advantage of trends in healthcare management, such as more rapid in vitro diagnostics products for decentralized point-of-care sectors. Additional packaging equipment will be needed soon, Strandberg says, prompted by increased sales and a mission to improve performance of existing operations. "We have much to consider first, but every time we need something, Doyen can customize it for our needs."
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