THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR TRACK & TRACE 

The Antares Tracking System is the complete tracking solution developed by Antares Vision and is already operational in many pharmaceutical sites in Italy and abroad.

The philosophy behind ATS is a completely modular one and is based on a set of cycles with redundant control:  check at inlet, print, read and check at outlet.

The control cycle is carried out by machinery specifically designed for the different levels of the production and packaging line, starting from the single package, to the flap, the box and finally the pallet.

Each package is identified by a univocal Datamatrix-coded serial number: the stations check the inlet codes and, after having filled the container, print the relevant code, check its legibility and total contents. Any partially filled containers can be easily dealt with.

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Each station is independent from the other stations thanks to the inlet and outlet controls: the ensuing redundancy allows for absolute reliability even if the packages are removed or damaged in the conveying zones between two successive stations (Free Zone).

At shopfloor level, the ATS software modules are implemented on real-time hardware platforms to ensure perfect data synchronization even towards stations with the highest productive rates such as the cartoning machines.

At a higher level, the ATS modules interface with the company's ERP systems to receive the univocal codes and transmit data pertinent to the make-up of the various packages (bundle, box and pallet).

The use of manual readers - also connected in the network - permits managing the exceptions such as damaged cartons, partially-filled bundles, etc.

ATS has its own database that is updated in real time with information from all the stations in the line: which one produced, where, when, inside which container it was placed, where it was shipped.

At the end of each production batch the system communicates the database data to the company ERP.

It is this very integration between ATS and the ERP productive systems that enables each product to be tracked after shipment, updating the product's history until it has been used/destroyed.

A RANGE OF MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Antares Vision has an entire line of machinery and systems developed according to the specific tracking requirements of pharmaceutical clients.

Said machinery works alongside, and is integrated with, our traditional blister control, carton print control, foil control, capsule control systems, etc.

The wide range of Antares high-performance cameras are designed to follow and check the output throughout the entire production cycle, from the formation of the primary packing up to its palletizing. 

Antares Print&Check - Machine for printing and checking Datamatrix, Barcodes and variable data on boxes

Designed specifically to support tracking applications, this machine prints all the fixed and variable data on the cartons by means of the inkjet technique and checks the correctness and integrity of the printed data, transmitting data to the higher-level management system in real time.

Antares Print & Apply - Machine for printing and checking Datamatrix, Barcode and variable data on cartons 

Equipped with a high-resolution camera to check the quality of the print, the Print&Apply system is usually installed at the outlet of the case packer and is made up of a conveyor belt, a printer with an automatic applicator, a manual barcode reader and an interface PC.

This system permits handling labels having a width of up to 120 mm and printing at a resolution of 8 dots/mm.

Datamatrix Reader - Datalogic PowerScan 8000

 One- and two-dimensional manual barcode reader, powerful and sturdy to withstand extreme environmental conditions (IP65 protection rating and impact strength up to 2 meters).

The ergonomic case is lightweight and well balanced to ensure utmost comfort for the operator during the reading activity.

It is used for reconciliation and checking operations along the entire tracking line.

Zebra 140XiIIIPlus Printer

Printer with steel structure and casing, known for its sturdiness, reliability and high performance.

This printer is the ideal choice for high-volume, mission-critical applications with 24-hour
duty cycles, well-suited for applications in which labels are required quickly, on demand or in batches.

Controlled by the ATS, this printer is used to print the labels that are attached to the pallets at the end of the line.

ATS-TASK FORCE - AN ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONALS AT THE SERVICE OF THE CLIENTS 

The development of track and trace projects entails a close connection between the supplier of the "General Purpose Technologies, (GPT)" and the clients throughout all of the project's development stages.

To meet the foregoing requirements, Antares Vision has created a specific division - the ATS Task Force - made up of managers and engineers with multidisciplinary experience, which range from management systems to shopfloor data acquisition systems to product safety systems.

This team collaborates with the client throughout all the system's development stages, from analysis and design, to commissioning and validation, to the current management and maintenance of the tracking system.

Since these professionals have direct access to the in-house design, engineering and product & machinery service structures, for the control and tracking operations, they are even able to supply quick and effective answers to any customization requirements for these products.

Benefits

• Redundant control cycles to guarantee utmost data reliability and consistency
• Wide range of machinery designed specifically for tracking requirements
• Real-time hardware and software for checking the fastest packaging machines without limiting their output
• Modular and expandable software architecture for any future requirements
• Direct interfacing with all the line's control systems (blister control, print layout control, package integrity control, capsules control, etc.).

A Production Line sample

Each station checks the codes in input and, once a container is completed, a new code is printed and applied to the container.

In this way, each station is independent from the other ones: this is mandatory in case of removal of packages into the free zones behind two stations.

Each station communicates with a central database, updated in real-time with the information from the line. At the end of each production batch, the system sends the data to an upper system (usually the ERP software of the company).

Data Matrix Requirement Specifications

According to specifications drawn up by the Ministry of Health of Turkey, pharmaceutical products must be uniquely identified with a data matrix that contains four fields:

• GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)
• Serial number unique for a product
• Expiry date
• Batch number

The data for each field are prefixed with a numeric code of 2 digits, the Application Identifier (AI) in order to identify the field itself; the field is made of digits(N) or characters (X):

AI	GTIN	Control Digit
0 1	0 N2 N3 N4.... N13	N14

AI	Serial
2 1	X1 X2 X3.... X20  (Variable length up to 20 characters)

AI	Expiry
1 7	N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6   (the order is YYMMGG)

AI	Batch
1 0	X1 X2 X3.... X20  (Variable length up to 20 characters)

Because the serial number has variable length, is inserted the separator according to GS1 standard before the whole code, and after the serial code. The rule states to choose as separator the character ASCII 29, that is the Group Separator ().

Example:

GTIN: 08691234567890

Serial: 1323424679

Date: 19th of January 2007

Batch: X2512061322

The coding inside the symbol is.

01086912345678902113234246791707011910X2512061322

The data encoded with an ECC200 data matrix could contain at maximum the following data:

010NNNNNNNNNNNNN21XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX17NNNNNN10 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hence:

40 characters

28 digits

2 field separator

According to ECC200 encoding specification, it is needed to contain the data a symbol of dimension 32x32 cells, able to encode up to 124 digits or 91 characters.

In the example we have encoded the string:

 "010123456789012321qwertyuiopasdfghjklz1712345610qwertyuiopasdfghjklz"

using the following data matrix code ECC200 32x32:

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