Pharmaceutical Production

The pharmaceutical production area is entered through a door different from the door to the packaging area. These areas are controlled separately according to different standards.
In each locker room, workers change into the cleanroom clothing specified for the area.

In the weighing process, workers weigh out the amounts of raw materials necessary for manufacturing a formulation product for each production unit.
When a raw material arrives from a logistics warehouse, a worker scans the QR code on the label of the raw material according to the instructions of the manufacturing execution system (MES) and weighs out a specified amount of the raw material with a weighing scale. If there is no problem with the weighing, a label will be printed out. The worker affixes the label to the bag containing the weighed raw material. This systematized process prevents human errors, including mix-ups between raw materials.

For some products, powdered raw materials are shaped into granules prior to the blending process. This granulation process enhances content uniformity and processability. For granulation, we use a fluid-bed granulator and dryer (the one in the picture) and a high shear granulator.

In the granulation process, a binding liquid is sprayed onto the powdered raw material placed in the granulation equipment to form granules. This piece of equipment is automatically controlled. Once a worker sets manufacturing conditions, it automatically operates to manufacture products.

For some products, the tablets shaped in the tableting process are film-coated. Film-coating is a process of coating tablets with water-soluble high molecular weight substances. Film-coating has the effects of masking bitterness to make the tablets easier to take and of making them less subject to light and moisture.
Daito has various types of film coaters to cover low- to high-volume production. The charge amount of each film coater is between 5 and 500 kg.

This equipment is automatically controlled. Once a worker sets manufacturing conditions, it automatically performs film-coating.

In the inspection process, the appearance of tablets is inspected, and those with defects, including cracks and contamination with foreign matter, are screened out. The automated tablet inspection machine is automatically controlled. Once a worker sets inspection conditions, it automatically operates to inspect tablets. The automated tablet inspection machine is suitable for inspecting products that are produced in large quantities at one time. We strive for quality enhancement by examining the defects of tablets that are screened out and giving feedback to the preceding manufacturing process.

The tablets that have passed the visual inspection are packaged. Daito employs packaging called “blister”* for many of its products.
* Blister sheets, a type of drug packaging, hold tablets and capsules sealed individually between a plastic sheet and aluminum foil.
Pushing a plastic blister hard breaks the aluminum backing behind it to take the tablet/capsule out of the blister, while the other tablets/capsules are kept sealed. (left)
Workers check the packaged products so that there are no abnormalities in the appearance. (right)

The packaging area is controlled according to standards different from those for the pharmaceutical production area, so workers are dressed differently.
However, the same procedure for thoroughly removing foreign matter applies to workers entering the packaging area: hand washing and the use of a sticky roller, a suction cleaner, and an air shower.

The blister sheets, bundled up in the previous banding process, are packed in consumer boxes, and the boxes are sealed with glue.

In this production line, robots pack consumer boxes into outer boxes.
The robots bundle up a certain number of consumer boxes, set up outer boxes (corrugated cartons), put each bundle in an outer box, and seal the outer boxes with tape. The robots also affix a management label to each of the outer boxes.

Once the required number of outer boxes are stacked on a pallet in a predetermined pattern, a worker draws up the pallet with the boxes on it and carries them to a warehouse.

This is a control room of the packaging area. Control work in the room supports daily production operation.

This formulation product factory building, completed in 2001, houses the No. 3 Logistics Center.
As of 2021, this factory building has the largest floor area (about 10,000 m²) at Daito.

All major formulation buildings are linked by connecting corridors, which enables the easy coming and going of raw materials, products, and personnel between the buildings.

This high-voltage substation supplies power to each of our formulation product factories and API factories.