Randall Hicks Consulting, LLC

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United States
Richmond, TX
Randall Hicks Consulting, LLC

I have over 20 years experience servicing compounding pharmacy lab equipment.

I am an authorized after-warranty repair center for
Exakt ointment mills and Unguators (EMP's). I also repair Tube sealers (Aline STS-7 and PCCA) hotplates and limited services for electronic balances.I will consider and or consult on other compounding equipment just contact me.

01/20/2017

Hello Compounders

It is inauguration day. Like it or not, we have a new president today. As has been the case since I have been old enough to vote or care, prayers for our government are always needed so do not pass up the opportunity. As I posted last month, I have used equipment on consignment that needs a new home. The equipment on hand was in need of repair and has been under the proverbial knife, or wrench as may be more befitting, under my watchful eye. I have three EMP-2100's and one PCCA ointment mill all of which can be purchased at less than 50% of new replacement. This equipment is offered with technical support and 30 day warranty. If interested, please contact me for a full disclosure of repairs and condition. And as always, if you have equipment sitting in storage due to performance issues please call me to discuss repair. I am willing to purchase broken equipment under certain circumstances and if the unit in question has no salvage value, I will recycle/discard in the most effective manner possible.

Happy compounding and keep those patients healthy
Randall

01/04/2017

Hello Compounders
Here's hoping that 2016 was good to you. Looking forward, USP 800 is presenting new challenges that need to be met. I have recently come into some equipment to be sold on consignment. If you need to expand you lab and are wanting to do it frugally give me a shout. If I do not have what you need I may be able to locate it for you. If you have broken equipment that could help fulfill your needs, pull it out and contact me to discuss repairing and returning to service those items that are costly to replace.

Have a great week
Randall

11/17/2016

Good morning Compounders.
Today let's examine the reuse of EMP (unguator) jars and why that might be a bad idea. The jars are expensive, granted, but reuse can cause a number of issues. I do not sell the jars so this is not a sales pitch. I have received many EMP machines that have shutdown and will not respond to any commands on the key pad. The unit displays a trouble code that will not reset. The culprit is that a used jar has lost it's seal between the mixing blade shaft and the lid of the jar. Once this happens the product within the jar can adhere to the shaft and is drawn out of the jar and spun off during the up/down cycles. If the product lodges in one of the optic sensors then the logic board sees no activity, throws a code and shuts the unit down. Disassembly and cleaning of the sensors can get expensive depending on model and is totally avoidable. The most important argument for one-time use is that you must maintain a lot history trail for the products you make. Even if you designate a jar for a particular compound, a change in lot numbers of any component can compromise you trail. The jars are made of polypropylene and the impeller on the mixing blade is constructed of Delrin which is a much harder form of plastic. The impeller can and does scratch/score the internal walls of the jar and can embed
product in the walls making the cleaning process a questionable task. If you are confident that reuse is an option for your processes then monitor the unit and at the first sign of material escaping at the lid, replace the lid and/or lid and jar. Depending on volume, density and run time, you may not get more than 4-5 used of the jar. The manufacturer does not make the lid available separately so your supplier will probably not be able to accommodate such a request. Please contact me if you have any additional questions.
Happy Compounding
Randall

11/03/2016

Good morning Compounders.
Today I want to talk about hotplates. When was the last time that you calibrated your plate or plates. I know, your thinking "I'm not wasting my time calibrating that thing" but wasting time is one of the most important reasons to do it. Scenario, making suppositories, being careful not to over heat the base, you slowly ramp up the temp to the desired setting. Heating the base too long will drive out moisture which will change the melting point of the final product rendering them less effective or useless. Have you ever just cranked it up in the interest of time and burned everything before your very eyes? Cleanup? I've made my point. Calibration-Place a small beaker containing mineral oil ~ 50-80 ml. on a cold hotplate.
SUSPEND a thermometer in the oil (it cannot touch the beaker) or use an infra-red thermometer. If you have target temps. that you use often, now is the time to establish where that is exactly on your unit. Pick 6-8 settings working from cold to hot, if your unit has a numeric display, write down what is shown, wait 30 minutes then record the actual temp of your media then move on to the next higher setting etc... If you have more than one unit of the same model, never assume that there work the same, calibrate them all.
Questions? Call or e-mail or text or.....
Thanks and have a great week!

11/01/2016

Happy All Saints'Eve. As I write this I am hiding from children that are trying to collect pounds of teeth rotting material. The little skeletons, cute as they may be in costume, will have to go elsewhere. Speaking of skeletons, I have mentioned this before, what equipment do your own that quit on you at just the wrong moment and caused you to replace it ASAP? Hotplates, balances ointment mills, EMP's (Unguators) capsule machines, tube sealers, etc. Having back up equipment is not a bad idea versus replacing under pressure with no time to shop around. If you need to expand your business it can be beneficial to bring some of your older equipment back to life and free up the storage room for other purposes. Contact me with your needs. I will help you assess the best results for your issues.

10/27/2016

Almost all states require that your balance be inspected semi-annually or annually be it through your state weights and measures or by an independent third party with the results being submitted to your state board of pharmacy for compliance. If you have not had your electronic balance inspected please consider doing so. The accumulation of material internally can cause a balance to be out of specification without your knowledge. It is a slow progression of issues that most balances can compensate for electronically but there is a point of no return whereby you cannot get an accurate or stable reading from your balance. If you have questions about how to test for degradation of performance please contact me for instructions on how to make some user friendly test that can confirm any needs for servicing.

10/05/2016

I'm back in the saddle after a two year vacation (LOL) so those of you ladies and gentleman that are compounding (A.K.A. going the extra mile for your patients), break out that equipment that you stuck in the store room when the machines quit working, qualify your needs and give me a jingle if you want to try to salvage them. The replacement cost of lab equipment is rising faster than the margins of the industry. I am willing and able to service your current equipment at a cost that will probably satisfy the most frugal of business owners and I guaranty my work to your satisfaction. Down time is not an option so contact me.

09/30/2016

I apologize to some of you. I am asking for friends again in less than 24 hours of the previous asking. Just learning the Facebook thing and this is officially my business page. Thanks and God bless

Address

Richmond, TX
77406

Website

http://www.randallhicksconsulting.com/

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