Antares Vision S p A : AV - PR Antares Vision with IBM and Linux Foundation to guarantee vaccines integrity and traceability.pdf

PRESS RELEASE

VACCINES: ANTARES VISION WITH IBM AND LINUX FOUNDATION TO GUARANTEE THE

INTEGRITY AND TRACEABILITY OF EVERY SINGLE DOSE

1Q 2021 GROUP ORDERS +36% YoY

Travagliato (Brescia), 28/04/2021 - Guaranteeing the integrity of vaccines and tracing each dose through visual inspection and serialization processes of the single vial. This is the commitment of Antares Vision Group to bring safety and transparency to the vaccine distribution chain and guarantee fairness and correctness. The Italian multinational has in fact designed and already installed on the lines of several pharmaceutical companies solutions for visual inspection and serialization of the vials, also in integrated mode: the first allows to eliminate human error in quality control, guaranteeing extremely high volumes of inspected vials (up to 400 pieces/min), the second allows traceability at a global level, reducing interruptions in the supply chain and making the supply chain transparent, a fundamental aspect in this phase of the vaccine campaign.

In particular, the latest solution of Antares Vision, belonging to the panel of patented applications for visual inspection, is equipped with innovative technologies to allow accurate visual inspection for liquids and/or lyophilized products, a Container Closure Integrity Testing and, in integrated mode, the unique serialization of the single dose (in-line printing and control of data matrix code with visible or UV-visible ink, to share information with health authorities and throughout the supply chain). The machine, in fact, is able to perform a wide range of checks: presence of particles inside the product, inspection of foreign bodies, filling level checks, detection of cosmetic and functional defects of the container, application and verification of the label. Visual inspection is performed thanks to state-of-the-art vision systems. Each high-resolution camera is programmed with algorithms enabling to recognize specific defects of both container and content. Equipped with proprietary image processing hardware, the inspection machine provides advanced statistical analyses that help identifying root causes of rejection. With the application of dedicated and advanced technologies, freeze-dried products can also be inspected. The use of lyophilized products is in effect expected to be adopted in the production of Covid-19 vaccines soon.

"The pandemic has accelerated the use and experience of new technologies - commented Emidio Zorzella, President and CEO of Antares Vision - and it is more important than ever that people's safety is guaranteed. Now more than ever, therefore, technology must help to reduce the emergency situation and our contribution wants to offer both the guarantee of integrity of the vaccine and the possibility to give greater transparency. With this in mind, we have partnered with the U.S. federal government, along with IBM and the Linux Foundation, to use blockchain technology along the vaccine supply chain."

In the light of the important inspection and traceability orders obtained in the vaccine market, the Group announces that in 1Q 2021 (1 January 2021 - 31 March 2021) orders are up by 36% compared to the same quarter last year (where - for both quarters of the reference years - the acquisitions of Applied Vision and rfXcel Corporation are considered), or 14.4% on a like-for-like basis and excluding the mentioned acquisitions. This double-digit growth is particularly significant, considering that it was achieved during the pandemic emergency only partially affecting the first quarter of 2020, unlike the corresponding period in 2021.

PRESS RELEASE

About Antares Vision Group

Listed since April 2019 on the Italian Stock Exchange in the AIM Market, the Antares Vision Group guarantees protection of products, people, and brands through inspection systems for quality control, Track & Trace solutions for anti-counterfeiting and supply chain transparency, smart data management tools for maximized efficiency and digitalization of the supply chain, from raw materials to the final consumer. The Antares Vision Group is active in the pharmaceutical market and in Life Science in general (biomedical devices and hospitals), in beverage, food, cosmetic and in consumer-packaged goods. The Group reaches over 60 countries in the World with complete and flexible solutions, hardware, and software, with related services and counts 7 Italian sites (Brescia, Parma, Piacenza, Latina, Collecchio, Mestrino e Vicenza), 22 company sites worldwide (Germany, France [3], USA [7], Latin America [2], UK, Spain, South Korea, India, Russia, Hong Kong, China, Croatia, and Serbia), 3 Innovation and Research Centers (Italy) and a worldwide network of more than 40 partners. Thanks to the twenty years of experience in vision technologies of the two founding partners, the Antares Vision Group is the supplier of 10 out of 20 leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, with more than 25.000 inspection systems, that ensure everyday product safety and quality, 6.500 quality controls and more than 3.500 serialization modules on lines installed all over the. With the aim of continuing and supporting the growth and development strategy, during 2019 participation agreements were finalized with T2 Software, a Brazilian company specialized in smart data management solutions, and Orobix, an Italian company leader in artificial intelligence services, as well as the acquisition of 100% of FT System, leader in control and inspection in the beverage sector. In 2020, Antares Vision acquired 82.83% of Tradeticity, a Croatian company specialized in software management of traceability and serialization processes, 100% of Convel, an Italian company specialized in automated inspection machines for the pharmaceutical industry, the assets of Adents High Tech International, a French company specialized in software for serialization and traceability, 100% of Applied Vision, a global leader in inspection systems for glass and metal containers in food & beverage. In March 2021, Antares Vision acquired 100% of rfXcel Corporation, a leading U.S.-based "SaaS" company serving the Life Science and Food & Beverage sectors and, through FT System, 100% of Pen-Tec and Tecnel, increasing specialization in the Food & Beverage inspection sector. In 2019 Emidio Zorzella and Massimo Bonardi won the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" award for innovation. For more info: www.antaresvision.com

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