Pfizer (formerly Wyeth Pharmaceticals) has invested over US$700m in capacity upgrades of its nutritional formula operations in Asia. Australian packaging machinery manufacturer Fibre King secured all the end-of-line packaging work across the three separate projects in Singapore, the Philippines and China.
The latest installation at Pfizer China’s Greenfields plant established four infant formula can and carton lines, including a depalletiser, lowerator-air rinser, WAP50 dual-layer continuous motion wraparound case packers, WAP25 case packers, and CP50 and CP30R palletisers.
Earle Roberts, CEO of Fibre King, said: “Pharmaceutical clients demand the highest standards of equipment, service and documentation. These requirements, teamed with the exceptionally high cost of downtime on these production lines places significant pressure on our 50-strong team. There’s no margin for error and no timeline extensions on a project like this - everything has to be perfect from the start.”
In order to meet capacity requirements, Fibre King developed a new dual-layer continuous motion case packer that can run dual-layer and single-layer packs at high speeds using standard wraparound cases.
“The China Greenfields installation was the largest single export installation we have done. Fourteen 12 m containers of equipment were shipped out of our Brisbane facility and we had turnkey responsibility for the installation of the four lines. Close cooperation with the client and building designer during the development phase ensured the most efficient and operator-friendly layouts. Likewise, significant upfront work with upstream and downstream suppliers minimised the chance of unexpected issues during installation and commissioning. Despite the scale of the project and the usual challenges of working in China, it was one of the smoothest installations we have delivered.”
Skip Nell, Senior Packaging Systems Engineer, Pfizer Global Engineering, testifies: “Fibre King’s support in designing and installing high-quality equipment are a great asset to our business. Their equipment reliability and efficiency match their level of excellent service and support across our international network. We look forward to continuing a great working relationship in support of the current equipment in operation and upcoming projects.”