Advertisement Feature Coding, Marking & Labelling Optimising pharmaceutical distributors
The use of image-based, industrial technology is quickly expanding in logistics. Image-based technology enables processes to be configured more efficiently and products to be traced seamlessly. Here German company STADA Arzneimittel AG shows how modern image-based technology from Cognex can optimise materials management
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n Europe, consumers understand that their pharmacy either has med- ication in stock or can get them from a pharmacy wholesaler within a few hours. However, the technical expense behind this is enormous. Therefore, STADA Arzneimittel AG, located in Germany, has over 4,100 products in its approximately 6,000m2
distribution and
service centre in Florstadt - such as Grippostad, Mobilat or Paracetamol - ready for delivery.
Up to 1,000,000 medication packages leave the logistics centre every day in up to 11,000 different packages. STADA uses the most modern image-based technology to ensure that all cartons safely reach their destination. A camera portal, implemented by Weber System Technology, reads 1-D barcodes quickly and reliably with the VisionPro software from Cognex.
United in the camera portal STADA is working with commission- ing waves for the highest degree of logistics efficiency. A varying number of cartons, based on order volume, move over the approximately two kilo- metre long conveyor belt of the distrib- ution and service centre.
The individual cartons are first assigned to the relevant customer order through a process coined ‘marriage’ or also known as a print and apply appli- cation. This occurs after the products pass through the camera portal. The bar- code of the incoming cartons is read and
reads was reduced to under four per- cent within the shortest period of time - a significant increase in efficiency which in turn reduced costs.
Above: vision software ensures perfect code reading on pharmaceutical packages for distribution
linked to the customer order in SAP, and a labelling machine attaches the job code as an additional adhesive ticket for further processing.
No surprises
The greatest difficulties of logistics are often found with the labels. Labels can be attached wrongly, may be damaged, have a defective printed image, or may be missing altogether. STADA had pre- viously used a laser scanner and up to 15% of the overall carton count was not able to be read, which lead to addi- tional expense in manual re-process- ing and could lead to wrong products being shipped. STADA’s demand for quality and efficiency led to a switch from laser to vision technology. Using image-based technology, the number of erroneous
Tested from all sides The vision portal Weber System Technology created contained five cameras to read the barcodes on the incoming packets. Two cameras inspect the long sides of the cartons on the same level as the conveyor belt - two additional cameras examine the front and back sides in the direction of movement 45 degrees from vertical - and the fifth camera looks down on the top nearly vertically. Vision technology from Cognex decodes the barcodes and transmits the data to the print and apply machine. The vision system is intelli- gent enough to ignore non-critical changes in the look of the code and to concentrate on the critical character- istics. Cognex software algorithms are powerful enough to be able to read barcodes that are damaged, highly reflective and omni-directional in only 400 milliseconds.
The future can come
The camera portal developed by Weber System Technology with Cognex vision technology offers STADA not only increased efficiency through the signifi- cantly improved barcode reading process but also provides them perfor- mance feedback if no reads occur. Image-based technology takes pictures of the barcode to read it, so if no reads occur, STADA can go back and review why, and quickly alleviate any process errors it may have.
Cognex
www.cognex.com T: 01327 856 040
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SEPTEMBER 2013 Automation
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