The traditional Hamburg-based company relies on automated quality control solutions for the production of pharmaceutical leaflets, and thus positioning themselves as an even stronger and more reliable partner for the pharmaceutical industry in northern Germany.
The production of pharmaceutical products has high quality requirements. Besides normative standards, the inspection and production processes are required to be automated due to the increasing pressure of time and costs in the printing sector. Whoever wants to hold and strengthen their market position as a reliable partner in the pharmaceutical sector must invest in technologies for quality control. As was so for Hamburg’s established Druckerei Siepmann GmbH. At the end of 2018, they decided to purchase a solution for print sample testing in order to guarantee the high requirements for pharmaceutical packaging.
Automated print inspection of package inserts
For 70 years, the owner managed Druckerei Siepmann GmbH has belonged to the producers of pharmaceutical leaflets in northern Germany. As a long-time supplier and provider to the pharmaceutical industry, they have been aware of the high quality standards. The inspection of printed products took place manually for decades and was mostly reliable. For the often time-consuming inspection of pharmaceutical printed products, red films were used and trusted in the visual inspection based on the expertise of the respective specialist staff.
Despite the two-shift system established in the company, the past few years have seen considerable cost and time pressures, which has increasingly focused on the automation of existing processes. A production error that has seldom occurred gave the final push for the investment: „In the final check of an order, we noticed that one item on the printed sheet was damaged during printing by a hole in the rubber blanket. We were then forced to destroy part of the print run. In order to avoid errors in the future, we decided to strengthen our inspection by purchasing an automated sample testing system,“ stated Thomas Siepmann, owner of Druckerei Siepmann.
Reliable sample testing with the EyeC Proofiler 1200 DT
After convincing research, they decided on the Proofiler 1200 DT for an offline inspection solution in large format. Thomas Siepmann said, „When making the decision, it was important to us that the inspection could be individually adapted to our inspection parameters in order to identify only the ‚real‘ defects in daily operation. For that, we needed a solution that enabled us to inspect the large printed sheets in one inspection run. And as a long-established Hamburg resident, it was also important to work together with a local partner who provides expert support during commissioning and can also be on site quickly, if necessary. With EyeC, we found what we were looking for and we are extremely satisfied with this partnership“.
The EyeC Proofiler 1200 DT is used at Druckerei Siepmann in the print process for the comparison of the printed sheet against the approved customer proof at the beginning, during and at the end of production. Potential deviations in the printed image can be quickly and easily identified and the appropriate countermeasures can be initiated immediatly by the printer. That creates trust and security „(...) not just objectively, but also in the minds of our responsible colleagues,“ added Thomas Siepmann.
The Proofiler 1200 DT also accelerates the existing processes in the quality department. „Sometimes we are asked for up to 80 printed sheets as a supporting document for our pharmaceutical customers,“ stated Thomas Prösch, Technical Operations Manager. „With help of the system, we carry out the required final inspections much more efficiently, objectively and more reproducible today. In practice, we‘ve noticed that all colleagues can work with and use the Proofiler system quickly and with minimal training effort,“ he added. The creation of inspection certificates now happens quicker and more comprehensively than before. Following a swift installation and training phase, the entire company has since profited from the automated inspection.
„We also use the new inspection system within our customer communication and for those interested from the pharmaceutical industry. With the increased efficiency and the greater security that we‘ve obtained through the automation of the inspection process, we now rank as one of the strongest and most reliable partners of the pharmaceutical branch in northern Germany.“ Thomas Siepmann concludes.
About Druckerei Siepmann
Founded in 1949, Druckerei Siepmann GmbH looks back on 70 years of experience in offset and digital printing, as well as specialist techniques for pharmaceutical inserts. With a strong culture of innovation, the extensive expertise of its employees, and a strong, regional affinity, the third generation family business has established itself as one of the strongest suppliers to the pharmaceutical industry in northern Germany.
For further information, please visit: www.siepmanndruck.de