2015 seems to be the year of increasing complexity.
On the one hand, the drug manufacturing industry is expanding, with an increase in global imports and exports. In fact, a surge in demand for U.S. manufacturing — particularly from China, India and South America — is expected for this year.
On the other hand however, the drug manufacturing industry is becoming more specialized; particularly when biologics, specialty drugs and therapeutic vaccines — which require complex manufacturing protocol — are projected to account for more than half of the industry’s sales by 2020.
Meanwhile, in the midst of all of this, big pharma companies are looking to expand their branding and clinical trial services, and keep up with the growing demand for “smaller and more frequent product launches” within shorter timetables. Add in cost-containment to maintain supply chain visibility and labeling accuracy, as well as implementation requirements to upcoming FDA regulations such as the generic drug labeling rules in December, and the landscape is far from clear.
What does this mean?
These industry challenges mean that operational practices will come under increased scrutiny as manufacturers are under pressure to maintain visibility and labeling accuracy, in order to avoid future recalls, and reduce opportunities for product mix up and counterfeiting — all while cutting costs.
Keeping up with the increasingly complex supply chain, requires advanced, real-time technology. On-demand color labeling is proven to save manufacturers up to 50 percent in total labeling costs by eliminating the need for pre-prints. By reducing overstock and label waste, on-demand color printing reduces the risk for product counterfeiting, mix-ups, and shipping errors. For companies taking these responsibilities on in-house, the flexible features of on-demand color printers accommodate high-mix, low volume or high-mix, medium volume batches (e.g., multi-product line changeovers or clinical trial labeling for global test groups) — with the option to always cost-effectively scale up production.
In addition to streamlining production through flexible and efficient capabilities, on-demand printers should also meet intense durability standards, such as the BS-5609 certification for GHS labels. Maintaining GHS compliance, quality and accuracy is key when it comes to printing readable labels that won’t smudge or fade.
