Unifill syringe has already supplier of automated assembly lines

Mikron is a company based in Switzerland specializes in manufacturing and automated assembly technology. Employs 1,000 people worldwide and specializes in the installation and test of high performance to the market of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and components of vehicles and electronic. During the past 30 years, Mikron Assembly Technology Division has developed more than 2,000 mounting systems. Many of these have been earmarked to pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment, for the manufacture of medical devices that include feather injectors, safety syringes, inhalers and insulin pens. They also have extensive experience in the development of Assembly systems automated for glass syringes ready to fill, used in the production of prefilled syringes.

After a thorough selection process, Unilife has commissioned Mikron to develop and provide automated assembly lines for use in the production of the syringe Unifill. The first commercial Unifill assembly line have a production capacity of about 60 million units per year, representing 50% more than anticipated originally, when the programme started industrialization in July 2008. It is expected that the development of this commercial assembly line starting next month, having been programmed implementation underway in new installations of production of Pennsylvania during the last quarter of 2010. This assembly line will support compliance with the program of industrialization of Unifill which is currently conducting Unilife, together its major pharmaceutical partner.

After the success of the first commercial assembly line validation, Unilife looks forward to working with Mikron to develop a new line of high-volume production. This line, which will aim to achieve a capacity of 150 million units per year, is scheduled to locate in the new facilities of production of Unilife towards the end of 2011.

Once you have installed both commercial lines, Unilife would have a total capacity of syringes Unifill of more than 200 million units per year. Subject to the development and supply successfully by Mikron of these lines of Assembly according to the contract specifications, Unilife expected to ask for more high-volume production lines, to meet the continuous pharmaceutical demand for ready-to-fill syringes.

In order to optimize the scalability of production and minimize operational risk, both lines will use a platform of modular building Mikron has been successfully applied in hundreds of previous projects. Prior to the appointment of Mikron as the selected supplier of automated assembly systems for Unilife, asked make a series of preliminary study of effectiveness activities to validate that its platform of modular building G05 had capacity to produce the Unifill syringes at speeds equivalent to the projected line of high-volume production. As part of the preliminary study of effectiveness activities carried out by Mikron, Unifill syringe was manufactured at the speeds you wish using the same mounting system that will serve as a platform for commercial production lines and high-volume production

Several versions of these platforms of highly flexible, scalable and accepted by the industry, to be developed by Mikron, to obtain the target production of Unilife volumes will be integrated in each line of mounting commercial and high-volume production. This process of replicating a mounting already proven system has significantly helped eliminate the hazard on the road to the commercial production of high-volume syringe Unifill.

For the director-general of Unilife, Alan Shortall, "this year, for Unilife has represented a key business priority the selection of our partner for the development of automated systems for Assembly of our Unifill syringes to industrial levels." After considering and carefully evaluated several potential suppliers of high quality, we chose Mikron because it has a solid and proven track record in the pharmaceutical, highly specialized sector of drug delivery devices for injection. Mikron has direct experience in the development of systems of Assembly to ready-to-fill syringes. As industrial leader consolidated, with close relations with a number of pharmaceutical companies, it also has sufficient resources to accommodate our aggressive increase of production plans. And most importantly, have validated that our syringes Unifill you can mount using their systems tested to commercially sustainable levels. From here, the route to the commercial production of large volume is a planned process of replication, more than a complex technical challenge. "We believe that the appointment of Mikron is a safe choice that will considerably reduce the risk of the commercial viability and the timely delivery of this key project of Unilife."

The Senior Vice President for operations of Unilife, Bernhard Opitz, adds: "Unilife undertook a comprehensive and very detailed selection process for a period of almost twelve months, to identify the right partner to develop and supply of mounting automated systems for the manufacture of our needle Unifill." Following the successful completion of several preliminary efficacy study activities carried out by Mikron, we believe that we have selected to partner with the right level of industry experience and operational capabilities to deliver this project in a timely manner and in accordance with the contractual specifications. "We look forward to receiving the automated assembly lines of high-performance of Mikron to help us in the manufacture of our Unifill syringes to supply them to international clients in the pharmaceutical sector".

For its part, the President of Mikron Corporation Denver, Paul Kuchay, commented: "was a great pleasure for Mikron Assembly Technology that confirmed the responsibility of partnering with Unilife in this ambitious programme." For more than 30 years we have provided effective, reliable and innovative mounting solutions to the pharmaceutical industry and medical devices. The robust design of the product Unifill is very well complemented with our proven automated mounting technology. Mikron Corporation Denver will work with the main offices of Mikron Assembly Technology of Boudry, Switzerland, to deploy and fulfil all our commitments to the production of the client program. "We are ready to build a solid relationship with a dynamic company like Unilife".