Workflow Points To Future For Pharma Packaging

Field Boxmore Healthcare in Leicester (UK), part of Europe's largest supplier of pharmaceutical cartons, is working closely with Esko-Graphics to automate its repro procedures.

Field Boxmore Healthcare in Leicester (UK), part of Europe's largest supplier of pharmaceutical cartons, is working closely with Esko-Graphics to automate its repro procedures.

The company has implemented several modules within Esko-Graphics' Scope workflow, including Backstage, Packedge, Plato and Deskpack software to manage work from the receipt of a customer's digital file to the output of printing plates.

Scope workflow covers job and product specification, graphic and structural design and pre-production operations, to plate making for printing and tool making for converting said Esko.

"Total automation is the way of the future, particularly in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry where the integrity of the file is paramount throughout the job.

By reducing manual intervention, we automatically reduce the risk of errors," explained Duncan Macnally, general manager of Field Boxmore.

Backstage digital workflow is designed to increase efficiency by automating repetitive tasks and virtually eliminating operator error claimed Esko.

That is achieved by the use of a concept called workflow tickets.

As in a normal job ticket, there is a definition of what has to be done but in the Esko-Graphics' workflow ticket within Backstage, the means to do what has been described is also attached to the workflow ticket.

"It means that our highly skilled operators don't have to spend time on simple, mundane tasks as these are all carried out in background on the Backstage server.

It gives them more time to spend on the complex jobs where their knowledge and experience really counts," said Shaun Smith, pre-press systems support analyst at Field Boxmore.

"There are challenges ahead but we have been very pleased with all aspects of Esko-Graphics' software, support, installation and training.

We anticipated production problems when we upgraded but everything was totally seamless thanks to Esko's project management team.

We feel confident working with Esko-Graphics.

They've been very open with us and we're fully up to speed with all their future developments," concluded Duncan Macnally.

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