Started in 1995, Promation quickly became an industry leader in automotive automation. Soon after, Promation leveraged its automation know-how and expanded into automation and tooling for nuclear applications for reactor maintenance, inspection, and refurbishment. Recently, Promation applied their knowledge of nuclear and automation to branch into the radiopharmaceutical industry. Promation now uses automation to developing innovative, safe, engineered solutions for the entire lifecycle of medical isotopes, including harvesting, processing, and packaging. With few players in the radiopharmaceutical automation game, Promation has emerged as a leader in this space.
Using its diverse technical knowledge, Promation can identify opportunities to improve processes by applying conventional technology to improve the speed and accuracy of work. Promation has developed a variety of innovative automation tools to support areas such as medical isotope handling using custom manipulators, modified hot cells, remote equipment, vision systems, and cobots – robotic devices that work side by side with humans. This technology can be installed within a business’ existing operations to improve service delivery and capacity.
For example, Promation has built and installed an automated medical isotope packaging line, an industry first!
Thanks to automation, Promation offers scalability, automated traceability, and increased quality control. Automation also offers reduced radiological exposure, costs, and outage duration, and allows for “lights-out” packaging of isotopes. This means that automation helps get critical isotope products to patients and hospitals in Canada and internationally as quickly as possible.
Promation works collaboratively with businesses in the industry to develop individualized automation solutions to meet each company’s needs. To facilitate this type of collaboration, businesses require an industry ecosystem that has sufficient logistical, financial, and political supports in place. As an early member of the CNIC, Promation recognizes the value of a seamless industry that facilitates connections between organizations within the isotope industry. The CNIC is proud to work with members like Promation to overcome existing fractures in the Canadian isotope landscape to better facilitate industry collaboration in the future.
As Canada’s position in the global supply chain for isotopes grows, we must ensure that our production systems can keep up with increasing demand. Particularly since many isotopes have short half-lives, having the technology in place to process and move radioactive materials through the supply chain efficiently is imperative. There are significant opportunities for automation within the radiopharmaceutical space that can help Canada achieve market leadership.