PDA Visual Inspection Forum 2025 Posters

My experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing showed me how vital manual visual inspection is, but it also highlighted a common challenge—sustaining operator focus over long shifts. I wanted to develop a tool that supports both operators and quality teams by providing objective data on attentiveness. The goal is not to ‘catch mistakes’ but to help companies create smarter inspection programs—like optimizing shift lengths, break schedules, or rotation plans—to ultimately reduce errors and improve product quality.

Our system helps companies understand when and where attentiveness dips during inspection shifts. With this data, they can make informed adjustments—like adding short breaks at strategic times or rotating operators—to ensure consistent inspection performance. By providing real-time feedback to operators and supervisors, the system promotes engagement and helps prevent fatigued decisions, leading to more robust quality control processes and fewer defects escaping into the supply chain.
“Poster presentations create an open environment to exchange practical solutions with others in the industry. They encourage conversations that go beyond theory—allowing professionals to discuss real-world challenges and collaborate on ways to strengthen quality systems. Presenting innovations like ours opens the door to gathering feedback from peers and learning how tools like facial tracking can integrate into diverse inspection processes across different companies.

My near-term goals based on this poster innovation:

1. Conduct pilot programs with pharmaceutical manufacturers to demonstrate how attention data correlates with inspection performance over a shift.
2. Work alongside quality teams to analyze this data and co-develop improved operator schedules, break structures, or task rotation plans based on attention patterns.
3. Build case studies showing how data-driven adjustments lead to better inspection consistency and fewer escapes, without increasing operator burden.
4. Explore partnerships with inspection equipment providers to offer our system as an enhancement tool that supports operators rather than replacing them.

Refine the system based on real-world feedback to balance attention monitoring with maintaining operator comfort and trust.

Ali Yuksel

Managing Partner | Principal Engineer

YB

I have been responsible for visual inspection for the majority of my 25-year career in multiple roles. I have a passion for visual inspection and the qualification of inspectors and equipment. I know the baseline for a robust qualification program starts with realistic, challenging defect test kits.

I am currently the Manager of a newly created Test Kit Fabrication Lab, and I want to share some of the benefits we have seen since its implementation. We have seen real benefits associated with the capability to internally prioritize test kit creations. We have a very aggressive timeline with new product launches and facilities, and the ability for us to prioritize the kit needs of each line has enabled us to hit tight deadlines. With the internal lab we have also been able to create samples/kits for testing and to aid in investigations. My goal is to continue to pursue innovation in defect creation to further improve the quality and consistency of the test kits we produce.

Poster presentations allow us to share new concepts or new iterations of old concepts to individuals who are interested. It allows individuals attending the conference to discuss the concepts being presented with the presenter in a more informal setting outside of the larger group.

Christopher Barnes

Advisor -Global Visual Inspection Steward

Eli Lilly

My poster presentation was inspired by an observation that a customer had regarding two of her projects. While performing a Knapp Study, visual inspectors were having difficulty finding all the particles in one project, and much less difficulty in another project. The customer asked us how this was possible since the projects were identical and we concluded that the stoppers that were supplied for the two projects were not the same, thus the particles had a higher chance of sticking to one stopper type than the other.

The information presented in my poster will show how the choice of stopper that is used in visual inspection kits may affect the usefulness of the kit over time. Poster presentations allow research to be synthesized in a visual format, and presenters can receive immediate feedback from their peers regarding their research.  This practice aids in collaboration between members of the scientific community.

Heather Marzolo MS

Laboratory Technician

Sartorius

At Eyetec we receive a lot of requests for the creation of test kits although customers are not always certain on what to include in them and what to look out for. This inspired me to create the poster presentation of ‘Different Types of Test Sets Throughout a Visual Inspection Project Lifecycle: From Vendor Selection to Visual Inspection in Production.’ My intent is to give a clear overview of all possible test kits. Bracketing or combining certain kits is possible as long as we ensure not to bias the process in either manual or automated inspection.

From selecting the right vendor and developing custom test sets to ongoing validation and production testing, each stage relies heavily on well-designed test sets to meet quality standards and improve the overall process. The poster aims to highlight the importance of understanding how different types of test sets are utilized at each phase of the visual inspection lifecycle. By breaking down these phases, I wanted to emphasize the step-by-step approach needed to maintain high-quality inspection processes and ensure consistency and reliability in production environments. The combination of these concepts creates a more holistic view of visual inspection projects, offering valuable insights for professionals looking to optimize testing strategies and achieve better results.

Clearly mapping out the different types of test sets throughout a visual inspection project lifecycle will enhance the industry by providing a structured, comprehensive approach to managing and optimizing visual inspection processes. Here's how it can contribute:

1. Improved Accuracy and Reliability: By understanding and using the right test sets at each phase (from vendor selection to production), companies can ensure their visual inspection systems are working in a correct manner.
2. Streamlined Workflow: Breaking down the test sets into specific phases allows organizations to streamline their workflow and avoid inefficiencies. It guides professionals in selecting and applying the most appropriate test sets, which can lead to faster implementation and quicker adaptation to new inspection systems.
3. Cost Savings: Proper testing early in the process can catch defects or performance issues before they reach full-scale production. This prevents costly rework or product recalls, thus saving the company money in the long run. By applying the right test sets, the industry can achieve more reliable inspections with fewer resources needed for troubleshooting.

Overall, this approach can contribute to higher operational efficiencies, greater product quality, and more informed decision-making benefiting the industry by enhancing both the technology and processes behind visual inspection systems.

Poster presentations are important because they provide a clear, visual way to communicate complex information in a concise format. They allow for easy sharing of ideas, foster engagement with the audience, and encourage discussion. They are also an effective tool for showcasing research or innovations in a way that is both informative and accessible.

My near-term goals based on the poster innovation are to raise awareness of the importance of structured test sets in visual inspection, promote best practices in the industry, and collaborate with vendors and professionals to refine inspection processes for better accuracy and efficiency.

Menno Sels MA

Senior Process & Project Engineer

eyetec

Our poster reveals how linear-designed devices manage without formatted parts and work more efficiently than conventional rotary machines. In addition, a wide range of detection technologies that are developed and manufactured in-house can be integrated into these modular systems to ensure that even difficult-to-inspect products. For example, vials filled with loyphilisate can be inspected precisely and seamlessly. Products that cannot be reliably administered are reliably withdrawn from circulation before they reach the patient.

We tried to clearly visualize the typical defects of difficult-to-inspect products and highlight special detection methods such as our pulsed X-rays or our multi-color image processing for greater detection accuracy in camera-based quality inspection, while also incorporating our corporate design. Questions and answers in the text provide enlightenment about the background, challenges, applicable technologies and modules as well as their possibilities regarding the strictly linear in-line inspection of vials filled with lyophilised products.

The modular HEUFT spotter II PHS is the only vial inspector of its kind to feature both sophisticated optical detection methods with ingenious illumination and intelligent image processing procedures as well as our pulsed X-rays for reliable glass-in-glass detection. Foreign objects are identified gently and reliably, even if they are hidden inside the product. A headspace analysis to identify excess oxygen in the vial can also be carried out in a single operation. In addition, the compact linear system detects glass defects, contamination and fill volume deviations in full vials holding between 2 and 100 ml and precisely examines the container closure integrity. Even in the most confined spaces, a gapless complete inspection is possible with high line efficiency for comprehensive patient and brand protection. This makes it a real game-changer.

Posters are valuable when it comes to illustrating abstract content and summarizing important core messages. With this format, the technical features and advantages of our innovative in-line inspection solution are visible at a glance and hopefully also make a more lasting impression than would be the case with a verbal presentation.

Moving forward, I would like to increase the popularity of the inspection system we have developed and manufactured to create awareness in the pharmaceutical industry that such a multifunctional compact solution with an efficient straight-through design even exists. Up to now, we have mainly been known in the food and beverage industry as a technology leader in in-line quality inspection. I would like to change that. And the PDA Visual Inspection Forum 2025 is an ideal platform for doing so.

Sebastian Mayer

Product Manager

HEUFT SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH