Astech Projects Launch the “Astech Automation Challenge”

With over 10 years’ experience of custom automation projects behind them, Astech Projects have launched the Astech Automation Challenge which invites companies, across the cosmetics and consumer healthcare sector to present a difficult automation problem for them to solve. Already one of the preferred suppliers for a major pharmaceutical company and working on automation projects with a number of companies including Quest and ICI, Astech has been successfully transferring its innovative automation for liquid handling, sample preparation, and in-line analysis to nutraceutical, cosmetic and toiletry manufacturing.

The brainchild of Astech’s founder, Paul Norris, the Astech Automation Challenge, is an extension of what Astech have been doing successfully, but quietly, for many years. “We have already been working with some of the top companies on a number of thorny automation projects covering all stages of the R&D to manufacturing process. A couple of our recent projects involved automating the in-line testing of deodorants and shampoos” said Norris. “We’re usually invited to work on a project where the companies have already tried and failed to get the automation to work properly whether using internal or external teams. So everyone’s particularly happy when Astech provide a solution that works well. The Astech Automation Challenge is just an extension of this work.”

Developing the right concept for each automation project is the key to successful implementation, and this is where Astech shine. An experienced team of mechanical design engineers, software developers and project managers work closely with the customer from the start to review a range of possible concepts, selecting the most advantageous for further development and Proof of Concept (PoC) trials where necessary. Astech call this process ‘Optioneering’ and it means that Astech’s engineering team are then able to build a system that fully meets and often exceeds the customer’s specific requirements.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what comes up” said Norris. “Bring on the challenge!”