Partnering the industry in an Active way

More than ever before, the pharmaceutical industry has to be able to count on partners that understand the priorities and possess the expertise and experience needed to support a wave of evolution which is aiming at consistent product quality, maximum efficiency and limited costs. Embracing the All-In-One PHARMA concept, we at IMA Active are driving this evolution and guiding the industry towards these objectives. An important actor in the concept which integrates all stages of pharmaceutical processing and packaging, IMA Active plays a leading role in such processes as handling, granulation, tableting, capsule filling and banding, weight checking, coating, and washing.

Our extensive portfolio for the manufacturing of oral solid doses, coupled with a number of inspiring innovations we have developed in key areas, is the backbone of our business. Together with the consultancy we provide, the cutting-edge technologies and services ranging from process engineering to technical assistance, we have all the means to build valuable partnerships. Luca Cavazzini, whose experience in IMA spans almost three decades, clearly sees the role IMA Active has to play right down the chain.

The power of digital technologies

One key area we have focused on involves digital tools and automation technologies. As today’s manufacturers depend heavily on data which can be analysed in order to improve product quality and production efficiency, we have devoted important resources to developing intelligent, interconnected machines.
Our process knowledge enables us to determine the parameters a manufacturer needs to look at and lets us select the appropriate sensors to gather that data. Collecting data during the drug formulation phase, our Galenic software IMAGO establishes the best production scenario in view of scale-up to commercial production. All this data allows the pharmaceutical company’s laboratory or the CRO to fine-tune specific parameters so that the product recipe is perfected and the process is optimised. The ultimate gain is minimal waste, minimal downtime and minimal equipment failures. Knowing exactly the status of each step of the manufacturing process leads to maximum efficiency and lower costs.

The value of integrated services

Our service offering accompanies the customer at each stage, from pre-sale consultancy to on-going assistance throughout the lifecycle of a machine to maintain optimum performance and process outcome. This is the result of a holistic approach we adopt when researching the solutions, implementing innovations that address far more than the machine itself, thereby encompassing all customer needs. In particular, our laboratory experts complete the customer’s product competence with our process excellence. We have set up a dedicated online platform to allow customer staff to access interactive training modules and acquire key information on the equipment provided and the processes they will need to master. 

Moreover, in terms of project management we focus on providing a service which involves a senior, certified Project Manager (Project Management Professional® & Certified Associate in Project Management®) who coordinates a multidisciplinary team to ensure every aspect is optimised to deliver total customer satisfaction. This is particularly valuable in the case of different production lines, so that the customer can channel all requirements to one person, streamlining and reducing the time needed to find a solution.

Driving sustainability within the industry

Facing the need to keep the cost of pharmaceutical products under control, IMA Active embraces the Group’s strategy to minimize environmental impact by developing materials, technologies and initiatives which increase sustainability. These range from reducing waste through superior production efficiency and machine versatility to technological innovation and design features allowing for frequent changeover procedures taking up little time and minimizing cleaning operations, all of which are a hallmark of our machines. Automation technologies that enable machines to self-adjust immediately and implement precise processing parameters, such as DYNAMICAM that enables DOMINA to handle the most difficult products with minimum RSD.

Our equipment is also able to fine tune the dosing process and thereby achieve maximum precision, especially when inline weight control capabilities are present, such as on ADAPTA, our flexible capsule filler. And again, AQUARIA has enlarged the washing equipment family implementing strategies to optimise the consumption of water and energy. Multiple dose systems are handled on our machines – such as ADAPTA that processes capsules with up to 3 APIs or DOMINA that compresses MUPS and bilayer tablets – aiming for increased patient acceptance and adherence to prescribed therapeutic dosing regimens, while cutting pharmaceutical costs as well as the related packaging costs. Further potential for sustainable processing will be gained as Continuous Manufacturing evolves.

The solutions we are creating will improve product quality, minimising product rejection and waste. Our current continuous tablet coating technologies seen on CROMA, but also on ACCELA COTA 500 and FLEX CTC machines that we have included in our portfolio after acquiring Thomas Processing (originally Thomas Engineering prior to joining the IMA Group), are pioneering the efforts to expand Continuous Manufacturing in the industry. Leading the pharmaceutical industry towards a more sustainable world, leveraging our experience and channelling our resources and expertise to provide innovation in every way possible. This is our share of a holistic approach to the future of pharma.