As the cannabis industry continues to grow at an exponential rate – both for medicinal and recreational use – the availability of THC-infused products has also rapidly expanded. The steep rise in the edible cannabis market has magnified the importance of consistency in product weight, potency, and overall quality.
Today, the cannabis market is no longer limited to traditional marijuana flower and buds. The market also includes a wide variety of products, ranging from a standard CBD balm to the edible market that includes a variety of THC-infused candy, gummies, oils, and tinctures to offer. Whether you are producing a vitamin with CBD or a gummy with THC, manually counting and inspecting each piece can quickly take on a role of its own.
Common Problems With Counting and Packaging Gummy Products
Once you have a winning THC or CBD formula for your vitamin, candy, or gummy, you can begin producing your product for sale (with proper licensing requirements fulfilled). However, you may find yourself running into the following issues when it comes time to count and separate your creations for packaging and distribution:
- Separation Issues – Separating candies or gummies manually can quickly become tedious, especially when packing hundreds or thousands of packages. Even if you are using a mechanical separator, there is no guarantee that your candies will be properly separated in a manner that results in an accurate count.
- Inconsistent Counting – Along those same lines, if you choose to measure your gummies or candies by weight rather than by counting them individually, you may end up encountering errors with your packaging that promotes a set number of items within. If your packages of THC or CBD gummies include a count, measuring them by weight will likely result in inconsistent final counts. Inconsistent counts can reduce the overall satisfaction your customers experience when considering purchasing your products.
- Unreliable (or Nonexistent) Traceability – Counting gummy products on your own can lead to inconsistent quality of product, as it is much easier for people to make mistakes than it is for programmed machines. This is even more important in an industry where doses are separated by milligrams.
- Packaging Issues – Counting and packaging gummies by hand is not only a tedious task, but it is an extremely unreliable and inefficient method of packaging any type of gummy candy.
- Extra Labor Costs – Because of the sensitive nature of this product as well as the detailed restrictions that go along with producing it, most gummy manufacturers pay extra labor costs to perform detailed packaging, inspection, and reporting functions.
The VMek Abacus+ system offers innovative solutions to all of these issues, using high-speed color cameras to count and inspect each piece, and providing dependable traceability and reporting. Contact VMEK today to learn how Abacus+ can help significantly reduce labor costs and increase accuracy for your business.
