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Cosmeceuticals Co. Completes First Phase of Serialization

Episciences, Inc.'s new track & trace system offers enhanced supply chain visibility while deterring gray market diversion for its popular skin care products. With more than several dozen unique offerings, initiating new SKUs has proven a smooth process.

Episciences was able to integrate ACSIS’ Serialization Management system without the hassle and cost of modifying existing secondary packaging artwork or labeling procedures to prioritize barcode placement.
Episciences was able to integrate ACSIS’ Serialization Management system without the hassle and cost of modifying existing secondary packaging artwork or labeling procedures to prioritize barcode placement.

Headquartered in Boise, ID, Episciences, Inc. is a provider of cosmeceutical skin care solutions, particularly known for Epionce, reportedly the first skin care line on the market to be focused on the health of the skin barrier. Its products are sold throughout the U.S., as well as internationally.

As the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Epionce, Episciences produces its skin care lines in an FDA-inspected drug manufacturing facility.

With a commitment to skin health and a diverse range of offerings, Episciences faced challenges in maintaining supply chain visibility, especially amid growing concerns regarding gray market diversion.

Serializing an array of products

Episciences' extensive product range, comprising several dozen unique offerings, posed significant challenges for conventional serialization solutions. The company's high-value products required a robust traceability solution capable of addressing issues such as printability, coding recognition, and false rejects. The need for compliance with evolving government mandates and regulations added complexity to the supply chain management process.

To address these challenges, Episciences partnered with Antares Vision Group—provider of traceability and inspection for quality control, and product and supply chain digitalization—to implement a comprehensive traceability solution.

An advanced track & trace system was developed by ACSIS, a business unit of Antares Vision Group,to enhance supply chain visibility amid substantial gray market diversion challenges.

The ACSIS Serialization Management system offers end-to-end traceability by managing, applying, and capturing serialization data at various levels, including unit, bundle, carton, and pallet. This enables Episciences to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements while integrating with enterprise systems such as ERP, MES, and serialization repositories, as well as line-level equipment like vision technologies, printing components, and packaging automation modules.

Along with serialization functionality, the Serialization Management system can also capture user-defined product attributes at the point of serialization, yielding insights to help optimize various points along the value chain. The system's user-friendly architecture makes defining and changing data collection parameters efficient and intuitive.

Integration into existing lines

At Episciences’ plant, the Serialization Management system operates on two packaging lines. Its software manages the vision systems, printers, and barcode readers necessary to verify and capture product serial numbers. The system is also the primary user interface for product selection and serialization verification data entry.

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Especially important given its broad range of Epionce products, Episciences was able to integrate ACSIS’ Serialization Management system without the hassle and cost of modifying existing secondary packaging artwork or labeling procedures to prioritize barcode placement, maintaining the existing carton surface composition.

“The system ACSIS employed for our Epionce products is both highly customized and essentially turnkey, with bare minimum ramp-up and training required,” says Ron Hope, general manager of manufacturing & distribution for Episciences, Inc. “Critically for a manufacturer with a diverse array of products, initiating new SKUs is a smooth process that doesn’t delay the inception of commercial-scale production.”

The approach allows Episciences to enhance visibility, mitigate risks, and ensure the authenticity and integrity of its products throughout the supply chain.

—Edited by Keren Sookne

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