When COVID-19 hit the world by storm, Thermo Fisher Scientific was tasked by the United States government to get as many COVID-19 tests into the market as soon as possible. They needed to be filled, capped, and packaged quickly, to meet consumer demand, and at the time, the company was only able to manufacture 30 to 50 tests a minute on their current 4 lines.
Morrison’s Head of Engineering, Ryan Finke, designed each system to efficiently move test kits through various packaging applications. The system handled the entire process—from unscrambling and filling the tubes to capping and presenting them for final packaging. With a production rate of 120 tubes per minute, it significantly improved the previously time-consuming hand-fill process.
The timing screws precisely controlled the containers throughout, accepting them from the sorter, holding them steady for filling, indexing for capping, and finally laying them down on an exit conveyor for final packaging. By increasing the speed from 30-50 CPM to 120 CPM per line, the company ordered 16 lines for integration in plants both in the U.S. and internationally, enabling them to meet the demand for COVID-19 testing.
Each system produced 130,000 test kits per day.
This engineering and manufacturing challenge was presented to Morrison in March. Leveraging our expertise in custom container handling solutions, we brought this complex engineering project to market in just under six months.
This system was constructed from stainless steel and UHMW meeting the strict standards of the pharmaceutical industry.
Morrison’s custom system enabled Thermo Fisher Scientific to dramatically increase their production capacity from 30-50 tests per minute to 120 tests per minute. With each system producing 130,000 test kits a day, the company was able to meet the urgent demand for COVID-19 testing. The deployment of 16 lines both domestically and internationally played a critical role in addressing the pandemic’s testing needs. The rapid development and deployment of these systems, achieved in under six months, exemplified Morrison’s expertise in delivering efficient and reliable container handling solutions.
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