Are high end vision systems worth the investment?

When looking for a vision system, there definitely are a few options. The objective of installing a vision system is clear, it is to carry out the inspection of products. But, does the installation of a high end vision system always increase a packaging line’s productivity? In short, it depends on the system.

If you have looked into purchasing a vision inspection system, one thing probably has come to mind: vision systems vary from one to another in their mechanical design, inspection capabilities and in their price. What companies need to be aware of, however, is that some systems have a hidden pitfall that will have a long lasting negative effect on a line’s overall productivity. This pitfall is a vision system’s false reject rate. What is a false reject rate? Definitions vary but in general, a false reject occurs when a vision system rejects a “good” product.

There is another pass/fail result that often plays a role in a system’s false reject rate: a system’s false accept rate. A false accept occurs when a system passes a “bad” product, instead of failing it. The end result of “bad” products entering the pharmaceutical supply chain is often a product recall. The incurred costs (actual costs and loss of profit) associated with product recalls can be staggering, even if the recalled product doesn’t pose any immediate danger to the public. These costs entail the actual cost of the recall, damage control (consumer alerts, press releases, etc.), the loss of revenue for the period the product is unavailable, the relaunch of the product and finally, the regaining of market share. It is estimated that all direct and indirect costs incurring for average drug recalls, results in a loss of revenue of at least $1,000,000. Therefore, to ensure that the integrity of the production line is maintained, this rate must be as close to zero as possible.

In working towards keeping false accepts as close to zero as possible, systems’ product inspections may lean towards a slightly higher false reject rate. So what would be an acceptable false reject rate? With a higher false reject rate also comes a reduction in a line’s overall productivity. How significant can the loss be? For example, if it costs $1 to manufacture a product and the line produces products at a rate 100 ppm and the vision system carrying out either product or packaging inspection has a 1% false reject rate, then operating the line 24/7 with 3 shifts a day would amount to an amount of $525,600 for a false reject loss at the end of the year. There will also have to be rework costs added into this. It is important to point out that this value only represents a false reject loss for one line. Therefore, two lines operating with vision systems that both have a 1% false reject rate would represent a loss at the end of the year equal to a product recall.

Is there a relationship between the price of a vision inspection system and its false reject? Absolutely! For example,

	Number of False Rejects			Price of System
	1/10 (10%) 1/100 (1%) 1/1000 (0.1%)			$5K $20K $35K

How can there be such a variation in false rejects between systems? Higher priced systems are just better equipped to handle problems that often occur in standard production environments. A common problem that occurs during packaging of products is shifting of the web. This throws off the printing alignment, which results in a slight variation in printing placement. Slight variations in printing can be acceptable and visions systems must be able to deal with such variations.

Another common problem is variable printing placement. For example, a code can be printed at various locations on a pouch. A system must be flexible enough, while being complex enough to accurately locate, isolate and analyze this code in as little time as possible. Furthermore, can a vision system contribute to finding a solution to lowering false reject rates? If the system is capable of storing a large amount of images some light should be shed on the problem. A higher priced system has this capability. In addition, a strong vision system is one that consistently provides a high level of inspection accuracy even under sub-optimal conditions. Hence, the primary way to reduce false rejects is to obtain robust vision inspection solutions.

Therefore, as much as a vision inspection system may represent a higher investment at the beginning, in the long run, a system with a lower false reject rate will ensure that a line remains efficient and will provide the best return on investment.

Optel Vision guarantees 100% inspection of a product’s packaging, which in turn, will reduce a company’s supply chain risk. The increase in efficiency that an Optel Vision system provides to product label verification and information verification on products helps to protect the integrity of product supply chains. Moreover, by ensuring that all information on product packaging is correct and clearly readable, tracking of products through the value chain can be easily achieved.

This highly efficient and accurate tracking also sets Optel Vision apart from its competitors. Rejects from each product must be accurately tracked down the line so to ensure that the lines integrity is constantly maintained. Optel Vision’s installation team sets this tracking during system installation; we don’t use 3rd party integrators. So with a high end vision inspection solution such as ours, you get high end inspection results, high end product tracking and high end service and support.