Pack Expo 2026: Antares Vision spotlights AI quality control in pharma packaging

The future of traceability is driven by regulatory reporting and connecting physical products with digital information. Such connected packaging solutions can support compliance, product quality, and more informed supply-chain decisions, says Andrew Pietrangelo, president at Antares Vision Group North America.

Antares Vision will highlight its offerings for F&B manufacturers at Pack Expo 2026 in Chicago, US (October 18–21). Its portfolio includes a multifunctional inspection unit combining several critical quality control processes; a sophisticated cap and fill-level detection module; and a system to minimize returnable transport item losses through comprehensive supply chain visibility. 

Packaging Insights speaks to Pietrangelo about how pharmaceutical manufacturers can address industry challenges through integrated inspection, traceability, and data-driven technologies.

What are the key solutions that Antares Vision Group will be presenting at Pack Expo 2026?

Pietrangelo: We will highlight how inspection, packaging, and traceability technologies can work together across pharmaceutical production rather than operate as isolated systems.

A major focus will be on prefilled syringes, with live demonstrations following the product through multiple stages, including automated visual inspection, container closure integrity testing, handling and denesting, labeling, and serialization. We will also showcase AI-enabled inspection, including technologies designed to complement traditional rule-based vision when identifying complex defects and anomalies.

We are set to present Inspecta, a unified approach to vision inspection, as well as serialization and aggregation technologies that connect the packaging line with enterprise-level traceability. With the transition to the US Food and Drug Administration’s 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) approaching, our team will also be discussing how manufacturers can prepare their packaging, vision, labeling, serialization, and data infrastructure for NDC 12. 

What challenges in pharmaceutical packaging quality assurance is your CY Series designed to solve?

Pietrangelo: Prefilled syringes present a particularly demanding inspection challenge because manufacturers need to evaluate both the drug product and the integrity of its primary container, often at high production speeds.

The CY is an automatic visual inspection machine for liquids in pre-filled syringes (Image credit: Antares Vision Group).The CY Convel Tech combines automated visual inspection with high-voltage leak detection technology to address multiple quality attributes within a single inspection process. The system can identify reflective and non-reflective particles, fibers, floating, and heavy particles, while also checking fill level and cosmetic defects involving components such as the flange, needle shield, and plunger. High-voltage leak detection adds another critical layer by identifying microcracks and pinholes that could compromise container closure integrity.

The broader objective is to give manufacturers a more comprehensive view of quality. As injectable products and delivery systems become more sophisticated, inspection increasingly needs to evaluate not simply whether a product “looks right,” but whether the product, container, and closure system meet the required quality and integrity criteria.

How are technologies changing the way companies manage cold chain operations and product traceability?

Pietrangelo: The biggest change is the movement from simply recording what happened to a product to gaining greater visibility into what is happening throughout its journey.

Connected sensors, IoT technologies, and cloud-based platforms can capture information such as temperature, movement, and handling conditions as products travel through an extended supply chain. For temperature-sensitive and high-value pharmaceuticals, this provides greater insight into conditions that could affect product integrity and allows organizations to respond more effectively to exceptions.

At the same time, serialization and aggregation create a digital identity and packaging hierarchy for pharmaceutical products. When those capabilities are connected with enterprise and supply-chain data, manufacturers can build much greater visibility from the packaging line through distribution. 

What key trends or innovations do you expect will define discussions at Pack Expo 2026?

Pietrangelo: We expect several conversations to converge at Pack Expo this year: AI in inspection, greater automation, connected production data, the continued growth of prefilled syringes and other advanced drug delivery formats, and increasingly integrated approaches to serialization and supply-chain traceability.

AI is particularly interesting because the conversation is becoming more practical. Rather than replacing established vision technologies, AI can complement traditional rule-based inspection by helping identify defects or anomalies that are difficult to define with conventional parameters. Manufacturers are increasingly asking where AI provides measurable value and how it can be incorporated into validated pharmaceutical environments.

Regulatory and data changes will also be important. In the US, the transition to NDC 12 has implications beyond changing a printed code. Manufacturers need to consider how the new format affects artwork, labeling, vision inspection, serialization, master data, and downstream systems. 

More broadly, we see the industry moving toward connected environments where inspection, traceability, and production data can provide a more complete picture of product quality and manufacturing performance. 

What is Antares Vision Group’s plan for the near future?

Pietrangelo: Our direction is increasingly centered on connecting inspection, traceability, and production intelligence across the pharmaceutical product journey.

Through our Diamind, Antares Vision is developing an integrated digital ecosystem that connects physical products with digital identities and brings together information across the line, factory, warehouse, enterprise, and supply chain. The goal is to help pharmaceutical manufacturers move beyond individual machines or software platforms toward a more connected approach to product quality, production visibility, and end-to-end traceability.

At the technology level, we will continue advancing automated and AI-enabled inspection, serialization and aggregation, digital manufacturing tools, as well as supply-chain visibility while supporting manufacturers as regulatory requirements and pharmaceutical packaging formats evolve. 

An important part of that strategy is also flexibility: helping customers integrate new capabilities into existing production environments rather than requiring every challenge to be addressed through a completely new line or system.