Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News: Tracking & Tracing

MES. If you are not getting a readable print, we can stop the conveyor system, and then receive an alert on what is wrong,” he adds.

The system supports nine levels of package-nesting traceability, tracking as goods are packed into trays, trays into cases, and so on. “We haven’t seen anyone use more than five levels, but we have built this in to accommodate any future needs,” Habib says.

A CoLOS Data Integrity module provides a security option for pharmaceutical compliance. The software conveys coding data to line scanners and vision systems for verifying the accuracy of package coding. Printing results are logged, and date and time are stamped in a database for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.

CoLOS Sync software acts as the “traffic cop” for bidirectional communication between Enterprise Control and ERP, MES, and WMS. The application receives the item master file from ERP and stores it the CoLOS database for use in the print network. As packaging is coded, hierarchy data are shared with ERP and WMS.

The software is configured and priced on a per line basis, so the licensing cost is the same no matter how many printers are running on a line. The license price is then discounted for subsequent lines and sites, Habib says.

“CoLOS PLT software delivers a

prepackaged set of functionalities in a scaleable application that meet the unique needs of operators, supervisors, analysts, and maintenance personnel across a wide range of industries that rely on flexible and efficient packaging-line operation.

“We are offering a complete hard-

ware and software solution, managed start to finish by Markem-Imaje. We strongly believe that this is a solution that companies can begin to use for limited deployment on individual lines, through to full-scale enterprise-wide package coding and data management,” Habib says. ■