The pharmaceutical industry is plagued by many changing uncertainties, including increasing healthcare costs, expiring patents, rising cost pressures and the growth in the production of generics. Pharmaceutical companies are beginning to realize that, in order to continue a sustainable business structure, they need to embrace innovations in manufacturing processes and engineering expertise.
Dr Jérôme Freissmuth holds a doctorate in technical science and has worked on organizational projects for the pharmaceutical machinery industry for several years. In an article in the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Magazine, he explains that OEE is an important part of optimizing manufacturing processes in this industry:
It is clear then that he suggests that the companies who will lead the way forward will be those that invest in machinery and services along the pharmaceutical value chain.
Adcock Ingram is a pharmaceutical manufacturer who has recognised the importance of the OEE metric. Adcock Ingram had been using HaldanMES on a trial basis for a short period, and has decided to continue with a full implementation of HaldanMES, for manual data collection, in Clayville manufacturing plant in Gauteng.
Adcock Ingram manufactures and distributes a wide range of medicines and healthcare products. In Clayville, they manufacture high volume liquids, low volume liquids, effervescents and powders.
HaldanMES’s OEE module will put the focus on key areas, such as machine availability, machine performance, and product quality. HaldanMES provides the framework with which they can achieve greater productivity and profitability by identifying losses in capacity.
Joel Gray, President of Service Industries LLC (Rolling Meadows, IL), which is a manufacturer of high-speed bottle-filling equipment, tooling, and change parts, says:
Laverne Louis, a Project Manager and Industrial Engineer at Haldan Consulting, highlights a key area of OEE:
-Published May 2014-
References for further reading:
- Freissmuth, J. 13 February 2013. Facing the Pharmaceutical Future. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Magazine. http://www.pharmamanufacturing.com/articles/2013/021/?show=all
- Gaines, D. 9 November 2007. Filling Overall Equipment Effectiveness Demands. Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News (Vol 15, No 11). http://www.pmpnews.com/article/filling-overall-equipment-effectiveness-demands