Packaging

Tension Packaging & Automation Announces New Printer-Folder-Inserter for Pharmaceutical and Internet Fulfillment Packaging

Friday 24. August 2012 - Tension Packaging & Automation, Pharmacy Group, announces the debut of its Tension PFI, a color 1/2-fold printer-folder-inserter that automates the printing, verification and dispensing of customer-specific prescription documents.

The Tension PFI, featuring a RISO color inkjet printer, prints, folds and inserts all required patient documentation before reaching the pharmacy’s packing station. “This helps give patients – particularly the elderly and those who have multiple prescriptions – additional confidence that they have the correct prescription when organizing their medications,” explained President and CEO Bill Berkley of Tension Corporation.
Referencing the pharmacy’s medication image library, the Tension PFI prints a high-resolution image of a dispensed pill directly onto the patient’s information sheet, allowing the patient to cross-reference the pill with what is in the bottle. The imprint code, and color and shape are clearly visible, giving patients a vibrant visual cue to help them verify their order.
The automated process eliminates the need for human intervention, speeding up the fulfillment process in the downstream pack stations and the overall pharmacy. Per-prescription costs can be reduced as a result of lower staffing requirements, and barcode and RFID verification helps further reduce the potential for human error in the pharmacy.
An additional benefit is that the printer seamlessly connects with client software used to create transpromotional opportunities for pharmacies in supermarket and drugstore chains. “As an example, if a patient comes in to pick up a prescription for a cholesterol medication, the pharmacy could include a color coupon for other products related to the management of this condition,” noted Ken Myers, director of Tension Packaging & Automation.
“Tension’s color printer-folder-inserter is the newest installment to our lineup to help ensure patient medication accuracy,” added Berkley. “It is central to the high-output pharmacy systems Tension designs, builds and implements.”
The product will be unveiled at the 2012 National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Annual Pharmacy & Technology Conference, being held Aug. 25-28 in Denver, 27 miles from Tension Packaging & Automation’s Longmont, Colo., location. The Longmont facility designs, produces and assembles Tension’s broad range of pharmacy and Internet order fulfillment equipment, including the new PFI.