Optimizing continuous production in the pharmaceutical industry

background

A pharmaceutical company has introduced continuous production where a reliable supply of raw materials is crucial for the production of tablets and capsules. These raw materials are stored in so-called big bags. The transport of the big bags to the suction conveyor systems is the last manual step in the production process. The sufficient availability of raw materials is monitored via the weight of the big bags. There must always be a sufficient amount of raw materials at the big bag emptying stations in order to avoid production downtimes and to ensure consistently high product quality.

Requirement

To ensure smooth continuous production operations, it was necessary to implement an alarm system that would detect disruptions early and immediately notify the responsible employees. The system would ensure that, for example, if the big bag weight at the emptying stations fell below a defined threshold or if a malfunction occurred in other critical systems, immediate notifications were sent to the smartphones and DECT phones of the responsible employees to ensure rapid response times. In addition, the system had to be able to control the big bag emptying stations and visualize the fill levels of the big bags. The solution also had to be integrated into the company's existing infrastructure, including the building management system.

Solution

The company decided to use the Alarm Control Centers (ACC). in conjunction with the visualization system SIMATIC WinCC-Unified from SiemensWinCC Unified controls and monitors the big bag emptying stations and enables visualization of fill levels, while the ACC is responsible for alerting in the event of a fault. Fault messages are transmitted directly from the WinCC Unified system to the ACC, which immediately sends them to the DECT phones and smartphones of the responsible employees.

In addition to the big bag emptying stations, the ACC is also responsible for alarming in the event of a fault in other critical production systems, including differential dosing scales, granulators, fluid bed dryers and tablet presses. The integration takes place via interfaces (ACC Agents) for MS SQL databases and OPC UAIn addition, the company's building management system was connected to the ACC via Siemens' Desigo CC platform to ensure reliable alarm notification.

Added value

By implementing ACC in conjunction with WinCC Unified, the pharmaceutical company was able to significantly improve its production processes. Fast and reliable alarm notification minimizes downtime and ensures a continuous supply of raw materials. Visualization of fill levels and control of the big bag emptying stations via WinCC Unified enable efficient and automated production control. This leads to increased production reliability and efficiency, as malfunctions can be detected and remedied immediately. Integration into the existing infrastructure ensures seamless communication between the various systems and guarantees comprehensive monitoring and control of all relevant systems.