IMA Group has unveiled the first fully integrated suppository production and packaging line, from forming to serialization.
IMA Group has completed development of the first fully integrated suppository production and packaging line. The company announced the solution on 15 September 2026; the equipment will be available to customers from October 2026 at the IMA Sarong plant in Italy.
The new line covers the entire process — from forming and filling to secondary packaging, serialization and shipment. Such chains are usually assembled from machines supplied by several vendors, which complicates integration, validation and service. IMA now offers a single contract and a single point of responsibility.
The core of the line is the IMA Sarong SAAS 15 forming, filling and sealing machine. It runs aluminium foil and delivers up to 30,000 suppositories per hour. Forming, dosing and sealing take place in one continuous process, reducing the number of intermediate operations and the risk of contamination.
The product then moves to the IMA Safe A83 cartoner, which automatically places suppository strips into cartons and inserts the leaflet. The IMA Life Sensitive AP400 labeller applies vignette labels and tamper-evident elements, while the IMA BFB CP18 MINIFLEX case packer packs cartons into shipping cases and supports several formats.
Traceability is handled by the IMA Labeling Print & Apply system together with Antares Vision. The system provides serialization and aggregation at carton and case level — critical for markets with mandatory medicine traceability, including Russia and the EAEU.
Key line parameters:
- capacity — up to 30,000 suppositories per hour;
- forming, filling and sealing in a single process — aluminium foil;
- automatic cartoning of strips with leaflet insertion;
- vignette labelling and tamper-evident sealing;
- case packing in several formats;
- serialization and aggregation from carton to case;
- integrated weight control and batch traceability.
For pharmaceutical manufacturers, speed is not the only issue: fewer interfaces between machines means simpler validation, maintenance and deviation investigations. IMA is betting on exactly this argument: the line is supplied as a single project with shared automation and one service contract.
“IMA is the All-in-One supplier for suppository lines, bringing every critical technology together in one integrated solution,” the company says.
Suppositories remain an in-demand dosage form, primarily in gynaecology, proctology and paediatrics. For Russian sites producing such medicines, the new line is attractive because it covers several stages at once: dosing, primary packaging into strips, cartoning and aggregation to meet Chestny ZNAK requirements.
IMA is bringing the solution to market as pharmaceutical manufacturers revise their equipment fleets amid tighter traceability and GMP requirements. A fully integrated line allows new products to reach the market faster and reduces dependence on multiple suppliers.
The line will be available from October 2026 at the IMA Sarong plant. The company did not disclose the price or the names of the first customers.
Source: IMA Group press release
