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Orion Pharma Tests Item-Level Tagging
Prior to shipping the cases from its facility, Orion reads the case tags to keep track of where each batch is going. At this (and subsequent) readings in the distribution chain, data is transferred to PackAgent software—either via a WLAN or a cable connection directly to a PackAgent server or by means of an Internet connection linked to such a server. PackAgent's distributed IT architecture allows various parties in the trial to share information without including other unauthorized members of the supply chain.
When the cases arrive at the facilities of wholesaler Oriola, a portal reader from SAMSys Technologies reads the case tags. The data is then sent to the PackAgent software to authenticate the products and record their location. Oriola, an Orion Group subsidiary, distributes to pharmacies in Finland, with a separate subsidiary delivering the drug to locations in Estonia. For the purposes of this pilot program, cases for shipping were designed to hold the approximate amount of medicine required by each pharmacy, allowing Oriola to store the cases without unpacking them while awaiting the pharmacies' orders. As each order comes in, Oriola pulls the requested quantity from storage, reading the case tags as the order leaves its facility.
The pharmacies unpack the individually packaged bottles from the cases, using a desktop RFID interrogator to read the HF tag attached to each bottle's carton to make certain the correct package has been delivered to the right place. At the point of sale, the pharmacist reads the carton's tag one last time to authenticate the drug.
For untagged drugs, Orion Pharma, Oriola and the dispensing pharmacies will continue to use bar-coded labels to track batches of medicine, Orion's Pietilä says, but not individual items.
"We tried to make the pilot program as transparent as possible so we could see how it works with production and logistics processes," says Kirsi Viskari, Stora Enso's manager of smart packaging. "We're having non-tagged and tagged packages of this particular medicine processed at the same time. What makes it unique in Europe is that it involves all the parties in the supply chain, and they are separate companies, including the package manufacturer."
Stora Enso's PackAgent application is part of the packaging solutions the company offers its customers. The software is compatible with other ID technologies besides RFID and can be used to provide consumers an easy way to authenticate products over the Internet. That service, which is not being tested in this pilot program, entails a consumer entering a drug's serial number at a Web site to receive confirmation of the drug's authenticity.
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When the cases arrive at the facilities of wholesaler Oriola, a portal reader from SAMSys Technologies reads the case tags. The data is then sent to the PackAgent software to authenticate the products and record their location. Oriola, an Orion Group subsidiary, distributes to pharmacies in Finland, with a separate subsidiary delivering the drug to locations in Estonia. For the purposes of this pilot program, cases for shipping were designed to hold the approximate amount of medicine required by each pharmacy, allowing Oriola to store the cases without unpacking them while awaiting the pharmacies' orders. As each order comes in, Oriola pulls the requested quantity from storage, reading the case tags as the order leaves its facility.
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| Kirsi Viskari, Stora Enso |
For untagged drugs, Orion Pharma, Oriola and the dispensing pharmacies will continue to use bar-coded labels to track batches of medicine, Orion's Pietilä says, but not individual items.
"We tried to make the pilot program as transparent as possible so we could see how it works with production and logistics processes," says Kirsi Viskari, Stora Enso's manager of smart packaging. "We're having non-tagged and tagged packages of this particular medicine processed at the same time. What makes it unique in Europe is that it involves all the parties in the supply chain, and they are separate companies, including the package manufacturer."
Stora Enso's PackAgent application is part of the packaging solutions the company offers its customers. The software is compatible with other ID technologies besides RFID and can be used to provide consumers an easy way to authenticate products over the Internet. That service, which is not being tested in this pilot program, entails a consumer entering a drug's serial number at a Web site to receive confirmation of the drug's authenticity.
