Data capture is critical when you’re looking to drive continuous improvements in manufacturing, and it is equally crucial for regulatory compliance. In this month’s Fit for the Future article, we’ll look at how intelligent systems can streamline the capture of data required for quality management and regulatory compliance in regulated industries.
Does your business track Critical Control Points? If so, are you able to retrieve that information quickly and easily? With the right sensors, platforms and software solutions the necessary quality parameters can be continuously captured, with alerts generated in a timely manner for any deviation from specification. This can mean the difference between a batch of good quality or finished goods that require time and energy to rework to the appropriate standard. And automatically performing regular in-process checks can improve the efficiency of operators and reduce the chances of incorrect data being captured or recorded which could lead to unnecessary work. With solutions from Astec and our partners, we can help you start the journey to a fully automated quality management system.
As all production processes consume raw materials, the exact nature and variability of these materials and the quantities used can have a significant impact on the quality of the finished product. Automatically adjusting the production setpoints to cater for the individual characteristics of raw materials can lead to a more consistent output. By continuously capturing quality data through intelligent systems, you have the tools to perform a historical review of production performance based on different batches of raw materials. You may have implemented a historian already but are you capturing all the data you need to accurately monitor production quality or is the information in isolated silos that are not easily accessed?
The Industrial Internet of Things is a vast and intricate topic. However, through an iterative and scalable process, you will rapidly see tangible results in reducing workloads with an innovative platform for better quality and improved compliance with your industry’s regulations and standards. Linking together the disparate assets and data stores in your operation provides vital visibility, both in real-time and over the history of your production process. Your data collection and collation processes are streamlined and automated through this connectivity, facilitating the generation of electronic batch records (EBR) that can be used to satisfy regulatory compliance. Modern, intuitive user interfaces make reviewing data against specific dates, batch codes, raw material lot numbers, or other production parameters more accessible and understandable.
Compliance with standards and regulations is vital for the image of your operation. A tailored solution meets your requirements from recording hitting required temperatures or exact measurements when combining the right amount of ingredients at the right time. And with our solutions, you can rest assured that you have access in perpetuity to every detail of what you’ve produced.
This month’s article is just one practical application of intelligent technology; you can apply the same principles to improve operational performance and streamline existing processes. Are you interested in how? Check out the earlier articles in the series or get in touch to learn more.