Meikle awarded major grant for medical platforms program

JANUARY 6--Meikle Automation (Kitchener, ON, Canada; www.meikleautomation.com) has been awarded a major grant from the National Research Council of Canada. The grant will support a $1M (CDN) corporate initiative to develop standard, configurable automation platforms for the medical industry. Meikle has also secured commitments for technical assistance in these development activities from three potential clients.

The program will conclude in November 2006 with the completion of a prototype system for a high-speed vision application in pharmaceuticals, as well as a specialized flexible packaging system for medical device and diagnostics. Both represent major areas of potential growth in automation.

"Our solutions for medical-device manufacturers will reduce labor and increase quality," said Andrew Meikle, president and CEO of Meikle Automation. "Our vision inspection and flexible packaging systems in the pharmaceutical field will advance the level of technology in this industry. Meikle is working on novel new platforms to improve productivity and efficiency."

Meikle Automation is a privately held designer and builder of automation systems for a variety of industries. The company has six manufacturing facilities throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico.