Healthy Habits
By Andrew Joseph
Automation Converting Capmatic Confab Laboratories Damark Shrink Packaging Loma Systems Optel Vision Tecnoformati Group V2 Engineering“We also have a Level 10 vault (specially-designated secure facility), which permits Confab to manipulate narcotics and controlled drugs,” says Brisson, adding that investing in such capabilities is critical for a company targeting 20-percent annual growth over the next five years.
Another important factor contributing to the company’s impressive business growth of late, according to Brisson, was a strategic decision to operate as a one-stop-shop for its clients.
FULL STOP
“In 2005, we analyzed the market and decided that Confab would be better-positioned to serve its customers by being able to perform internal analyzes and the complete range of all the manufacturing operations, leading us to increase our packaging capacity,” Brisson says. “By performing all aspects of packaging, manufacturing and testing at Confab, we ultimately control the product quality, pricing and lead-time.
“The decision to begin offering turnkey solutions was based on the advantage of having tremendously skilled chemists, biochemists, microbiologists, engineers, formulators, mechanical experts and operators on staff—all with a high level of expertise and experience.”
Such wealth of human talent enables Confab—which sells about 50 per cent of its production in Canada, 35 per cent in the U.S, and the remainder in Europe—to launch a new product nearly every month, according to Brisson, from concept to a finished product.
“Since we know that time is money in our business, we have looked at ways to reduce our turnaround times,” says Brisson, “and the company continually looks at ways to improve the facility, while continuing to invest heavily in new production equipment.”
In 2001, Brisson recalls, the Confab plant had undergone a comprehensive, $4-million expansion that included the installation of six independently-operating ventilation systems, new air conditioning, heating and filtration systems, and a new dust collector to minimize the risk of cross-contamination during production.
On the production side, the plant proceeded to install a wide range of V-blenders—from one- to 75-cubic-foot units—a 50-cubic-foot high-shear mixer, a thermoblower for plastic uni-dose medical dispensing bottles, and high-speed rotating presses.
The manufacture of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical liquid solutions has long been an area of special expertise for Confab, which boasts an abundance of know-how and equipment to manufacture virtually any type of liquid formulation—including syrups, suspensions, dispersions, emulsions, etc.—with annual capacity of four million liters.
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