Shrinking Lot Sizes and Abundant Data Create Opportunities

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Gerhard Breu from Optima emphasized that customer-specific solutions are the be-all and end-all for the pharmaceutical sector. Last year, the Group presented an end-to-end strategy for services in each phase of the lifecycle, and the strategy is equally suitable for the pharmaceutical business. Factory Acceptance Tests with simulation and start-up support, re-qualification following upgrades, calibration services and comprehensive maintenance services are just some examples from the Total Care portfolio. Optima's goal is very similar to what Bosch intends to deliver with its after-sales services. Throughout the entire machine lifecycle, the company helps their customers improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and reduce downtime.

This goes hand in hand with a high degree of transparency in production, which is one of the features which Bosch plans to deliver with its Industry 4.0 solutions. In the future, live information services will supply all of the data which customers need to monitor machine states and process parameters. Browser-based software captures, stores and visualizes machine data and helps analyze the information to improve system availability.

Davide Brancaleoni, a packaging expert at Rockwell, reiterated that the basic framework must be in place which enables access to all of the pertinent data: "It is vitally important for companies to build up convergent IT infrastructures which support system connectivity and data transfer." Many automation system suppliers can now meet this need, ideally with industry-specific solutions. Rockwell Automation, for example, offers modules from its FactoryTalk portfolio such as Pharmasuite MES and Factory Talk Historian to log data and highlight trends and changes. Brancaleoni argues that correct use of the data forms the backbone of track & trace solutions. "In that respect, Industry 4.0 plays a vital role in pharmaceutical production." Rockwell solutions create the link between production technology and the IT and enterprise systems.

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Suppliers of filling and packaging systems must also show that they have the necessary expertise in data networking, data integrity and cyber security. This is especially the case with filling and packaging lines for large pharmaceutical corporations. To an increasing extent, the systems must be integrated into the overall corporate IT ecosystem, for example MES and Historian systems. Integration solutions with real potential which pave the way to big data, data analytics and Industry 4.0 already exist, and there are even some initial projects. Breu from Optima remains vague, but he is convinced of one thing: "None of this will happen without integrated digitalization. Digitalization will be indispensable for managing the production process of the future."

Suppliers of pharmaceutical filling and packaging systems will not be able to put any solutions on display at this year's Achema. However pharmaceutical manufacturers who are willing to embrace new paradigms and align their business models with Industry 4.0 should not hesitate to make inquiries.

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