Pharma Packaging & Manufacturing Awards

12 | ghp Pharmaceutical Packaging & Manufacturing Awards 2016 Packaging Distributor of the Year - UK PP160012 Kite Packaging work exclusively on tertiary packaging, the packaging which gets the important pharmaceutical items from A to B without getting damaged. Gavin notes that those within the pharmaceutical industry tend to spend a lot of money on primary packaging, and then neglect tertiary packaging; which is where Kite can help. “In our experience, we have been able to save our clients significant amounts of money and improve their operational efficiency by using our more industrial approach in this industry. Those in the pharmaceutical industry tend to have much higher than average requirements in terms of environmental performance, and our environmental compliance scheme assists in this; Kite Environmental Solutions looks after all of the obligations of our clients in this area. “Over the last 8/9 months we have been working on a very significant project relating to the redistribution of drugs, which we are very proud of. This involves the movement of drugs from regional distribution centres to GPs, local pharmacies and directly to patients, which is mostly done through van distribution fleets. One of the problems with this in the past has been mix ups with products in the vehicles, and the high street value of some drugs posing a security issue. To combat both of these issues, we have developed an automated packing and bagging process; when drugs are picked up in the regional distribution centres, they are sealed in a tamper evident pouch, which has a handle on it so that they can be hung up in the truck. We have also utilised different colours for the different categories of drugs, meaning that they can be easily identified and treated accordingly in terms of handling and security. Another area we have invested heavily in, is pallet load stability. We have been doing a lot of work relating to highlight testing; we can work out the containment forces involved in the palletisation process, and can work out how these packages can be safely transported.” Gavin is optimistic about the future for Kite Packaging, and hopes to continue to see the growth of the company over the next few years. “Kite has been compounding and growing well over the last 16 years, particularly within the pharmaceutical industry. We feel lucky to be involved in this industry, as we expect to see continued growth here, and are excited to continue to invest and grow alongside it.” Kite Packaging was founded 16 years ago, and now boasts around 235 employees, with their turnover, expected to reach the late £50 million mark this year. The firm’s speciality is in looking after large customers with complex packaging requirements, and they work largely in the value added industries of automotive, aerospace and pharmaceutical. We spoke with Kite’s Managing Partner, Gavin Ashe, about the unique offering of the firm and one of their latest projects. Contact Details Company: Kite Packaging Name: Gavin Ashe, Managing Partner Web Address: www.kitepackaging.co.uk Email Address: [email protected] Telephone: 02476 420065 Highlight test kit system