Late Stage Customisation gains ground
July 1, 2010: Demand for Brecon’s wide range of Late Stage Customisation (LSC) solutions continues to grow as global pharma manufacturers buy into the production efficiencies LSC offers (reduced packaging artwork, fast order fulfilment and reduced inventory costs) while satisfying the need for small, localised batches of products customised for local language and variable data requirements.
A project currently under way illustrates how LSC is built into the packaging operation to accommodate efficient production of 150 SKU’s of the same product. Brecon packs the products in large batches on automated lines and then places it on stock. When an order is received, the relevant number of packs is retrieved and each is customised with a pre-printed label, overprinted with the relevant local information as part of the final packaging operation before despatch.
Business development director Steve Kemp says that a number of developments in supply chain management are encouraging manufacturers to explore the benefits of LSC. “Producing small batches is an essential component of lean manufacturing processes because they reduce or eliminate stock write-offs due to obsolete packaging or text or livery updates.”
He adds that over the next five years LSC is expected to get a further boost from the projected growth in healthcare packaging (12.6%) and anti-counterfeiting measures (11%). “In particular, sophisticated Track-and-Trace safeguards will depend on being able to provide flexible online automated print solutions at the last possible moment in the production process.”
