Sustainable consulting for sustainable packaging solutions with packaging competence consulting
Sustainable packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical industry are always a combination of different aspects: With its Packaging Competence Consulting, Uhlmann Pac-Systeme offers its customers a holistic consulting approach that also covers material selection and design. Uhlmann's specialists support pharmaceutical manufacturers throughout the entire value-added chain - from analysis and testing to implementation in production.
The new legal requirements for the sustainability of packaging pose particular challenges for companies that package pharmaceutical products: The focus is on the recyclability of packaging. Both the material used and the way it is processed have a direct impact on the product's carbon footprint. At present, many solutions do not yet meet future requirements, and for many packaging companies the changeover also represents a challenge to their own planning and production capacities. The new consulting service from Uhlmann Pac-Systeme supports customers in the transition to recyclable alternatives. Packaging Competence Consulting comprises a structured process that addresses all issues, including the selection of materials that meet the required pharmaceutical and sustainability properties, support for optimal product design and the necessary process optimisation on the lines. Matthias Kaiser, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing at Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, says: "Our consulting service gives customers direct access to our expertise and that of our partners in the materials sector. With our support, we relieve the customer's production infrastructure by carrying out test runs on our systems. A strong network of packaging materials partners supports our approach. The end result of our holistic consultancy is a complete packaging process that can be implemented directly at the customer's site and is quickly productive".
Holistic advice on packaging materials, machines and processes
The new process must efficiently combine sustainability requirements with patient safety requirements and reliable processing of the new materials. Uhlmann's Packaging Competence offers a holistic solution approach to support the customer throughout all phases in the development of sustainable packaging concepts: from analyzing the various packaging to the test phase and implementation in production. By means of agile prototyping, blisters and folding boxes are made tangible as samples. This allows customers to get a comprehensive, realistic impression of their new packaging solution at an early stage. A key factor in the successful development of innovative and sustainable packaging concepts is that Uhlmann always emphasizes the interaction between the pharmaceutical manufacturer, i.e. the customer, the packaging manufacturer and Uhlmann as a machine manufacturer. This combination results in a "best-of-bread" approach that leads to a reliable and safe packaging concept within a short period of time.
Life cycle assessment for demonstrably sustainable packaging solutions
The demand for sustainable packaging made from renewable raw materials is growing rapidly – and with it the need for pharmaceutical companies to account for their environmental and climate impact. For this purpose, Uhlmann uses the established methodology of Life Cycle Assessment. It enables a reliable and well-founded analysis of the environmental impact and energy balance of new packaging solutions over their entire life cycle, right from the start of the design process. This provides customers with a standardized assessment of which packaging concept is best suited for a specific product and its strategic orientation. Likewise, different solutions can be compared to make a fully informed decision when choosing a packaging solution.
Extensive testing capabilities without interfering with ongoing production
Whether the new packaging concept actually delivers what it promises will be determined in a comprehensive test under realistic conditions. However, taking a line out of running production leads to economic losses and the loss of validation. To avoid this, Uhlmann offers the possibility of carrying out tests on equivalent machines in the Uhlmann Test Center. All relevant machine types of the last 30 years are available customers. Either Uhlmann's own format sets or those manufactured by Uhlmann are used. In addition to process tests, leakage tests are also carried out and the final product is made available for stability tests.
Format sets for higher productivity and overall equipment efficiency
The production of pharmaceutical packaging requires simple format sets that can be set up quickly and deliver precise and consistent results over a long service life. This is where Uhlmann comes in with its Packaging Competence Consulting. Together with the customer, specific requirements and the desired product geometry are analyzed in detail in order to deliver a precisely fitting and reliable tool for optimally economical production. In addition, the Uhlmann experts show how a modular format concept and the harmonization of format sets can reduce set-up times and simplify warehousing.
