Interphex Preview, Part Deux

The Interphex 2005 Conference and Exhibition is less than a month away (April 26-28 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City). Rudy Giuliani will deliver a keynote address, as will FDA’s John Taylor (speaking on risk-based inspections). There are many other must-attends at the show, and we give you some of them below. Also, read on to find out what some of your favorite vendors will be showing off.

This year’s show, from training and workshops to hundreds of speakers and exhibitors, will once again feature four tracks—tweaked slightly this year. Manufacturing, IT and Sourcing & Services are joined by a track devoted wholly to facilities. The PharmaFacilities track includes 29 solutions-oriented sessions led by experts from some of the leading firms in facilities support and maintenance.

A few of the week’s facilities highlights include:

• “Designing for the New Age of Continuous Processing in Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Facilities,” a Tuesday morning general session led by O’Neal, Inc.’s Tim Crosby.
  
  
• “Increasing Plant Efficiency through CIP Engineering,” a Thursday session headed by Simon E.J. Forder of J.M. Hyde Consulting, Inc.

Many other sessions throughout the tracks have the feeling of can’t-miss events. On Tuesday morning, PharmaSource Information Services’ founder and president James C. Miller delivers a “State of the Industry Address.”

Not up on Process Analytical Technlogies? Head for “PAT: What Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Professionals Need to Know,” a Tuesday morning discussion led by Daniel R. Matlis, VP and GM of Stelex Corp.

And if you’re interested in the state of RFID, be sure to attend “Emerging Technologies: RFID in the Pharmaceutical Industry.” Among the supply chain experts to speak: Purdue Pharma’s Charles Nardi, Novartis’s Diane Arico, and Accenture’s James T. Hintlian.

Visit www.interphex.com for a full schedule of sessions and workshops.

Best of the booths

Here are some of the firms you’ll find on the show floor, and some of the products they’ll be showcasing:

Process Equipment and Systems
Booth 1863—A&B Process Systems provides process engineering and automation services as well as custom stainless steel fabrication and field installation services. From electrical engineering to high-purity fabrication, from project management to installation services, A&B has the expertise to be your process partner from concept to completion.

Ultrapure Laminar Flow
Booth 318—AES Clean Technology, Inc. will show its new PharmaFlow, a laminar flow module that provides EU Grade A, ISO 5, or Fed. Std. 209 Class 100 critical environment conditions for pharmaceutical or biotech processes. PharmaFlow includes a programmable variable frequency drive that ties in to a remote monitoring system, a direct drive fan system, and a deeper filter media for quiet, energy-efficient operation.

Environmental Control and Security
Booth 2438—Andover Controls designs and manufactures powerful, innovative environmental control and security systems for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. We help building owners and operators provide a secure, comfortable and efficient environment in both their regulated and non-regulated facility areas, using the Continuum integrated facility automation solution.

Full Line of Industrial Detergents
Booth 1771—Aqueous cleaners for GMP pharmaceutical cleaning are supplied by Alconox, Inc. The company offers a full line of alkaline and acid, high and low foaming detergents for a broad range of industries, including pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology. Technical assistance in choosing and validating a cleaner is also available.

Automated Solutions for Production and Packaging
Booth 2037—Automation Tooling Systems (ATS) provides integrated, customized solutions for applications in flexible packaging, production, and inspection. Expertise includes robotics, aseptic processing, vision, laser integration, liquid dispense and validation support. The company’s experience spans drug delivery, vaccines, drug dispense, and clinical trial materials.

Ultrasonic, Laser and Vision Sensors
Booth 2351—Banner Engineering Corp. manufactures photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors, laser sensors, measuring light curtains, vision sensors and a variety of machine safety products. The PresencePLUS P4 Vision Sensors, EZ-SCREEN Safety System, and a variety of sensors including the new WORLD-BEAM QS30, QS18 and QS12 packages will be on display.

Paperless Calibration Management
Booth 975—Beamex, Inc. offers the QCAL System as a complete solution for instrument calibration and associated data maintenance. QCAL consists of field-portable (MC5) and workshop (MCS100) calibrators and Windows, SQL, Oracle compatible software (CMX). The QCAL System forms the basis for a totally paperless calibration management program.

Complete Packaging Solutions
Booth 519—Bosch Packaging Technology provides solutions for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, veterinary and biotechnology packaging. This includes barrier isolation technology, filler, washers, depyrogenation tunnels, cappers, and inspection equipment for liquid products as well as capsule fillers, thermoformers, checkweighers and cartoners.