when data puts an end to assumptions
In the pharmaceutical industry, certain defects often remain unresolved for long periods without a clearly identified cause, yet they continue to impact production.
The CortX Alchemy digital solution, which includes the “Shopfloor Diagnostic Tool” use case, has identified the causes of these defects. This has enabled the pharmaceutical industry to move away from guesswork and base their actions on tangible, reliable data.
The result: an 85% reduction in waste and savings of several thousand euros dollars a week. A concrete example of how digitalizsation can enhance quality and industrial performance.
problem
On a bottle-filling line, dosing variations were occurring at random, compromising both batch quality and production performance. Despite numerous attempts at analyse no reliable diagnosis could identify the cause of the problem. The machine manufacturer was no longer available and the production teams were left to deal with the situation on their own.
THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
L’ « Shopfloor Diagnostic Tool »
Step one involved connecting the machine to the gateway in order to utilizse the “Shopfloor Diagnostic Tool” use case via the DiziScop tool. This connection, established without modifying the PLC program or interrupting production, enabled the capture of a set of key data: bottle positioning, fill level, conveyor speed, as well as information from the position sensors and the servo motor encoder.
Contextualizing this data enabled the rapid identification of abnormal behaviour: a faulty encoder was disrupting the dosing cycle.
Thanks to this detection, the faulty component was replaced. The line immediately returned to stable operation and the dosing faults disappeared.
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RESULTS AND BENEFITS FOR THE CLIENT
The targeted intervention on the coder, combined with a better understanding of machine behavior, led to an 85% reduction in rejects, with the number of non-compliant bottles per batch falling from 215 to 35. This represents an estimated saving of $8,250 per week.
The solution also had a significant impact on the organization:
- Reduced diagnostic times
- Improved reliability of critical operations
- Increased OEE (overall equipment effectiveness)
- Capitalization on internal expertise
Data monitoring has transformed a bottleneck into a genuine opportunity for continuous optimization. Furthermore, the data collected is now used to anticipate future deviations and validate program developments.
Thanks to this approach, this case study illustrates how the CortX Alchemy solution addresses the four major challenges of industrial performance: Productivity, Quality, Maintenance and Decarbonization.
The Edge has enabled us to upskill our technical teams, streamline diagnostics and meet our OEE targets.”