Pharma History • Pharma • IMA Group

IMA history in the Pharmaceutical market

Discover the revolutionary and challenging philosophy that enabled us to become who we are now.

Groundbreaking 60's

Everything started in Bologna, Italy, with the machines for the packaging of powdery products into folded paper envelopes.

The technical brilliance? Only one single machine filling the powder, folding the envelopes, collating them and, finally, packing them in cartons. An “all-in-one” solution.

In: powder, out: carton – In: row material, out: final package ready to be sold to the final user.

This revolutionary and challenging philosophy enabled us to become who we are now.

Eureka 70's

Despite being a quite ambitious target for an unknown player like IMA, the Pharmaceutical Packaging Machinery Market was THE market for the newborn IMA C60, the absolute innovative blister packaging machine with integrated cartoner. No doubt it was indeed ITS market having a record score of more than 300 machines delivered!

Build-up 80's

It is during this decade that we definitively strengthened our position in the pharma packaging market. The family and the portfolio grow with the acquisitions of several companies already well-established in the pharma field: considerable advantages came from the undoubt increase of available resources and improved use of the technical and commercial facilities.

Zanasi
Farmatic
Farmomac
Win.Pack

All based in the Bologna area.

Determined 90's

Our belief is that the time and the energy invested in research & development never go to waste.

It is during the 90’s that IMA fiercely enter the Pharmaceutical liquid aseptic market, approaches the world of the tablet presses, and redrafts its blister packaging and cartoning portfolio.
Equally, great profit come from alliances with and acquisitions of synergic firms:

Libra (Florence, Italy)
BFB (Bologna, Italy)
Precision Gears (Mumbai, India)

Quantum leap 2000s

By far, in the fist years of the new Millenium, IMA became the “One Stop Supplier” for the pharmaceutical industry.

Inexhaustive Research & Innovation:

four new aseptic liquid fillers, F200, F2000, SMART and XTREMA
one new aseptic powder microdoser, MICROFILL 400
two new blister packaging machines, GIANT and C80JP (this last in cooperation with Omori Japan)
top efficiency feeding solutions for blister packing machines, COMBIFILL
two new cartoners, FLEXA and DYNAMICA
the perforated pan coater, PERFIMA.

Strategic Take-Overs:

Kilian (Cologne, Germany – investment following sold in 2013)
GS Coating System (Bologna, Italy)
Co.Ma.Di.S. (Milan, Italy)
Patented solutions for fluid bed technology
Nova Packaging Systems (Leominster, MA, USA) and Swiftpack Automation (Alcester, UK)
Zanchetta (Lucca, Italy)
Joint venture with Telstar (Barcelona, Spain – cooperation that will terminate in 2007)
BOC Edwards Pharmaceutical Systems Group (Tonawanda, NY, USA)

Enhancing 2010s

Despite the world’s economic uncertainity, our committment to keep being the supplier of the pharmaceutical industry both in terms of range of products and cutting edge technology, never faded. We have made ambitious and important strides to carry on growing.

C80HS, SOMBRERO, X1, ROLL-ONE, P.O.D., C360, C40, VERTICARE
Isolator Technology, DA VINCI, XTREMA PWD, STERILIF3, INJECTA
PREXIMA, CROMA

The digital era

The Digital Age is here, and … here we are!