The Ask

NPI was contacted by a large pharmaceutical company looking to sort “difficult to automate” package types; poly bags containing multiple individual cylindrical pill bottles. Their current system did not reliably process prescriptions in poly bags and did not meet throughput requirements required to keep up with the company’s volume growth. They were seeking an automation solution capable of processing their challenging packages at a higher throughput rate, with precise accuracy and reliability. They had an extremely challenging footprint, wanted to reduce labor, and needed the ability to merge pack/pick lines into one conveyor to manage increased package flow.

The Answer

After evaluating multiple competitive solutions for automation technology, the pharmaceutical company ultimately decided that NPI’s Xstream Dual Sided Sliding Shoe parcel sorter was the best overall system to meet their challenging needs. NPI’s sorting system met and exceeded the customer’s desired throughput of up to 12,000 packages per hour, which resulted in them purchasing systems in multiple facilities.

Features of the Xstream:

• Throughput: Met and exceeded the customer desired sustained throughput of 12K poly bags per hour
• Barcode Reader: Multi-Sided Omni-Directional
• Sorts: Plastic, Poly-Wrap, Boxes, Flats and Most Irregular Pieces
• Singulation: Gap Based
• Designed to weigh lightweight flats and poly bags
• Secure API for transmission of package data
• Versatile and user-friendly web based software

NPI systems can automate sorting across multiple industries, regardless of the business size. The Xstream sorter has a rapid return on investment, small footprint, increased uptime, and is supported by NPI’s best-in-class customer service to help you seamlessly transition into automation! To learn more about an NPI’s Xstream system, or to discuss your Pharmaceutical processing needs, please contact us at +1 888-821-SORT (7678), or email sales@npisorters.com