Nottingham-based I Holland supplies steel dies and punches to the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture tablets. In July 2017 they had an urgent need to identify and sort a large quantity of punches. Unable to do so accurately themselves, they turned to Hitachi High-Tech for a Vulcan laser analyzer. I Holland was so impressed with the Vulcan that they purchased their own which is now in use daily.
I Holland, a leading global tablet tooling provider, approached Hitachi High-Tech when faced with an urgent punch sorting challenge. Analyzing the types of steel in each punch was critical; every punch needed to be sent onto customers having been accurately analyzed. I Holland Research Development and Quality Systems Manager Rob Blanchard was sent a demo unit within 24-hours of the request, which the team were able to use to analyse all the punches quickly. Vulcan delivers accurate results in one second. This meant that I Holland was 100% certain that each one was made up of the correct materials.
Vulcan is now in use every day at I Holland. The company receives samples from potential customers and suppliers from all over the world. Potential customers send punches they have used that have broken for product development research. Suppliers send samples that I Holland may be interested in purchasing. Getting the analysis right is crucial as it can impact manufacturing and product quality, and could result in losing customers and reputational damage.
I Holland already had a Hitachi High-Tech X-Strata in use on-site for measuring metal coating thickness and materials. The team trusted the accuracy offered by Hitachi High-Tech, one of the reasons they wanted to work with them again. Rob Blanchard was also involved in the purchase of X-Strata a number of years ago. He believes that X-Strata and Vulcan both offer value for money over and above similar products from competitors. “Competing products were far more expensive and we couldn’t justify spending the extra for a product that did the same job,” says Rob. And when it comes to the Vulcan, “Quality and analysis is 100% assured on a daily basis, thanks to Vulcan,” says Rob. “It has paid for itself over and over again, and we have seen a positive return on our investment. Training is provided with the unit although it is very easy to use. Hitachi High-Tech also responded to our needs very quickly and we will definitely turn to them for more products in the future. We trust them and we will stick with them.”
