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Surepharm Services Ltd, located in Staffordshire, UK, is a contract tablet manufacturer specializing in tablet production. The company produces coated and uncoated tablets in a variety of shapes and sizes. Growing steadily over the past 15 years, Surepharm has continuously invested in the latest equipment to ensure customers receive high quality products at a reasonable cost.
A heightened need for automation
Over this 15-year growth period, Steve Wood, production services manager at Surepharm, has witnessed an increased desire for automated solutions. “Automated systems will improve the working environment in our facility by reducing manual loading and dust in the atmosphere,” said Wood. Beyond those two obvious benefits, Surepharm recognized the need for a more ergonomic setup in its tableting process.
More ergonomic solution for tableting application
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The application Surepharm assessed involved various veterinary formulations that are prepared, blended and loaded into drums before begin formed into tablets. “With manual loading in place, there were concerns about potential injuries among operators. We wanted to be sure that we were both following CoSHH regulations as well as maintaining the optimum fill levels for each tablet produced.”
Safely transferring up to 1 ton of powder per hour
Surepharm chose to install three of PIAB’s C-Series conveyors to transfer powder products to blending and tableting machinery. Powered by pneumatically driven vacuum pumps, these enclosed stainless steel systems can safely and quietly transport up to 1 ton of powder per hour. “The compact nature of the conveyors and the ease of loading and cleaning have proved invaluable.”
25-30 hours of difficult labor no longer necessary
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“Our long-term customer relationships are forged on technical expertise, quality, reliability and efficiency. It is natural for us to look for these attributes in a partner as well,” said Wood. “The PIAB solution simplified and improved the operator environment, and increased productivity by saving us 25-30 hours of labor per week. We now have a more reliable solution and far superior equipment and support than offered ever before.”
