Medical Device Link.

Originally Published PMPN May 2002

NEWS

Erik Swain

Companies that are not sure how well their packaging equipment will work when integrated into an entire system might consider using simulation programs before building a line, said a speaker at the annual seminar of the Eastern Equipment Committee of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (Naperville, IL), held March 12 in Secaucus, NJ.

Carl Napoletano, a business development official for Promodel Corp. (Orem, UT), said software now exists that allows firms to input a host of details about their pack-aging operations and run simulations that account for interdependencies and other variables that may not be adequately considered when designing a packaging line.

"Simulation allows organizations to experiment using an accurate model before 'flying the real thing'," said Napoletano. "It allows businesses to innovate cheaply. It allows for predictive analysis and can test a system's flexibility in a low-risk environment." By contrast, he said, doing analysis on paper often fails to adequately account for all the dynamics of a packaging system, and a spreadsheet analysis relies on the input of projected average values that may not turn out to be accurate in real life.

For further realism, the models can be linked to other systems a firm uses, from scheduling to enterprise resource planning, he said.

Copyright ©2002 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News