The $9m Montreal facility features four class 100000 clean rooms, capable of offering uni-dose packaging of solid oral dosage in a temperature controlled, low humidity environment with residual oxygen levels limited to 4 per cent.
Ropack president and CEO, Yves Massicotte, said he believed the new facility gave the company a head start on its competitors.
“We have taken every step to ensure that our new dedicated suite far exceeds what is available elsewhere to our clients,” he said, “It is our goal to be the top North American facility for stickpack production and packaging of all humidity and temperature sensitive products.”
Product integrity
According to Ropack, in designing the facility the Canadian firm “considered every detail to ensure product integrity,” including positioning mechanical rooms to avoid interference from outside elements, and creating a product and personnel flow in and out of the rooms which encourages cleanliness and safety.
The new production suite - launched on the company’s 35th anniversary - is part of Ropack’s 210,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing, packaging, warehouse, and distribution space. In addition to stickpacks, Ropack offers cold-form blistering encapsulation, sachet filling, syringe assembly, clinical trials and blending services.
Consumer acceptance
Stickpacks are big business in Europe and Asia, where the slim, tube-shaped packs no bigger than a stick of gum, enjoy significant consumer acceptance. Ropack says it has resolved to take the lead in bringing the product to the North American market.
“Stickpacks are a convenient and highly marketable packaging option so we are enthusiastic about spearheading efforts in North America,” said Paul Dupont, Ropack’s director of business development, “I believe we can provide the pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare industries the highest level of quality and efficiency in stickpack manufacturing.”