21-12-2012, 03:12 PM
Ways to Increase OEE and Productivity by Automating Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Production Lines
Ways to Increase OEE and Productivity by Automating.pdf (Size: 200.87 KB / Downloads: 102)
Introduction
Companies in all industries seek ways to increase their “Sustainability
Advantage” as today’s eco-aware consumers more often base their
purchasing decisions on considerations such as a company’s efforts to
reduce their carbon footprint, incorporate re-usable or recyclable
packaging and increase the use of renewable energy sources. Any
sustainability initiative should include the evaluation of a production
line’s overall equipment effectiveness or OEE, which describes, as a
percentage, the performance, availability, and quality of a machine, a
production line or an entire production plant. Growing competition in the
pharmaceutical and medical device markets has caused manufacturers to
rethink their assembly and packaging processes to reduce cost, increase
productivity and increase OEE. Many manufacturers have turned to
robotics integration to accomplish these goals. Robots have experienced
considerable cost reduction in the recent past, and they provide high
speed efficiency and manual dexterity for machine loading and unloading,
product collation, product assembly, product packaging, case packing and
palletizing. By robotically automating one or more elements of the
assembly or packaging line, manufacturers can increase productivity and
OEE while enjoying a low total cost of operation (TCO) and quick return
on investment (ROI).
Turnkey Robotic Integration
The right turnkey robotic system integrator can assure the success of
automating a packaging line. Manufacturers should work with an
integrator who has a thorough understanding of the pharmaceutical and
medical device markets and the types of packaging equipment most
commonly used in these industries. Ideally, the system integrator would
also provide some components of the line and have strong business
relationships with their suppliers. This gives the system integrator the
expertise and experience to oversee the complete planning,
manufacturing, integration and setup of new packaging and assembly
lines. They can also offer full turnkey service for upgrading existing lines.
Once a robotic system integrator has been selected, the integrator
should audit the line in order to identify the areas where automation will
improve overall OEE and the flow of the manufacturing or packaging
process. Automation through robotics integration offers many advantages.
Below are eleven ways pharmaceutical companies and medical device
manufactures can increase OEE and productivity by automating
pharmaceutical and medical device production lines.
Enhance the accuracy of multi-item feeds for pouching
and kitting applications.
Today’s robotic end effecters offer more agility and dexterity than ever
before, allowing them to be used in applications where multiple products
are collated and placed together in some sort of package. Integrated vision
and inspection routines may be programmed into the robot to allow it to
correctly select and collate items of varying sizes entering the packing
area on multiple lanes, even on moving conveyors. Vision can also be
incorporated into a rejection system that kicks out any incomplete kits,
increasing product safety and reducing the waste associated with high
product rejection rates.
6) Maximize valuable human resources.
Automated lines allow pharmaceutical and medical device
manufacturers to utilize trained personnel in areas of the production
process unsuited to automation. By integrating robots, packagers can
increase productivity without increasing personnel, reducing labor costs
for the assembly and/or packaging process. In areas of the country where
the need for human workers is greater than the number of qualified
candidates, robots offer a means to meet production demands.
7) Reduce personal injury to workers by eliminating
repetitive motion.
Repetitive motion can result in carpal tunnel syndrome, a long term
injury caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist. This
causes numbness, pain, burning, and weakened grip strength. According
to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(www.ninds.nih.gov), carpal tunnel syndrome is three times more
common among assembly line workers than data entry personnel. The
average lifetime cost of carpal tunnel syndrome, including medical bills
and lost time from work can exceed $30,000 for each injured worker.
Robots cannot be injured by repetitive motion, and they suffer no loss of
work due to illness.