SCHOTT has developed a new quality process for the production of glass tubes for pharmaceutical packaging: perfeXionTM. The PI system from OSIsoft is used for this. It records process data from the production systems in real time and thus ensures maximum consistency and quality.
Pharmaceutical glass is usually moulded directly from the melt into tubes. SCHOTT and other quality-focussed processing companies use such tubes for the production of ampoules, syringes, vials and cartridges. The challenge is to minimise the curved surface of such tubes with 100 per cent accuracy and monitor them in a production process that runs at breathtaking speed.
Until now, manufacturers have generally monitored the quality parameters with the help of statistical sampling. At SCHOTT, the new so-called perfeXionTM quality process Each FIOLAX® glass tube is measured and evaluated. The result is an improved product that not only supports the production of packaging materials, but also the subsequent handling. With this measure, SCHOTT aims to optimise the quality of its products right at the beginning of the value chain. Security of patients.
„With insights into the company's own data that can be called up at any time and are characterised by reliability, availability and security, SCHOTT Tubing has advanced into new dimensions with its quality standards in the production of pharmaceutical glass,“ emphasises Christoph Papenfuss, Regional Manager OSIsoft Europe for DACH/Denmark.
Fine-tuning production
A few years ago, SCHOTT Tubing launched a new internal MES project in tube production with the aim of generating internal KPI reports on product quality and modernising the IT network in production to ensure greater redundancy and take account of the latest technological advances. They were looking for a reliable partner and introduced the PI system from OSIsoft in. It records the Real-time data from the production facilities, but they are also used for Complex analyses to increase productivity, save energy or develop manufacturing strategies for products according to series or customer specifications.
Once the system had been designed, developed and customised to SCHOTT's needs, it was introduced at four production sites in Germany, Brazil and India. The system collects data from more than 100,000 signals assigned to the production lines. The company is currently in the validation phase of the PI system across its manufacturing sites around the world and is also adding Event Frames, PI-ProcessBook and PI-Coresight to provide better insights for customers and employees. The PI System opens up a significantly Greater process transparency and still Faster production processes. The creation of standard and spontaneous reports now takes „about 15 minutes instead of hours”, says Martin Monreal, project manager at SCHOTT Tubing.
Quality assurance at the highest level
„We are taking a big step towards a holistic view of quality in pharmaceutical glass production,” explains Dr Patrick Markschläger, Executive Vice President of the SCHOTT Tubing business unit. „Our existing, extremely tight control mechanisms have already ensured that the quality of our glass tubing meets the highest standards. But now we can verify more precisely that the glass tube corresponds exactly to the specification."
SCHOTT Tubing has also integrated laboratory data into the system. Before the PI system was introduced, the laboratory data was summarised once a year in a report. Now the Laboratory data in real time available. Shift reports, which were previously written in Excel format and on large sheets of paper, are now available via a Microsoft SharePoint web application linked to the PI system. Next, SCHOTT Tubing plans to integrate event frames so that process data can be assigned to production lots in real time. In addition, SCHOTT Tubing is working on ways to integrate Notifications, PI-Coresight and PI-ProcessBook into its operations.
What does the partner do?
OSIsoft provides a Open infrastructure This makes it possible to connect sensor-based data, production facilities and people, and to create a Real-time overview of all processes made possible. For over 30 years, OSIsoft customers have been using the PI System to improve processes in the quality, energy consumption, safety, security and regulatory compliance sectors. Founded in 1980, OSIsoft is a privately held company headquartered in San Leandro, California (USA), with offices around the world.
