Increasing OEE with technical audits

Syntegon Testimonials Betrieb Stephen Petrat

Questioning the status quo is worth it – even if machines are supposedly functioning perfectly. Syntegon worked with a German manufacturer of liquid pharmaceuticals to determine improvements with the help of a highly successful technical audit.

Where machine after machine is lined up, bottlenecks and coordination problems can occur from time to time. A wide variety of factors can prevent packaging materials from moving smoothly through production lines. Manufacturing companies and patients are at a disadvantage here, as stagnating processes lead to reduced market supply of vital medicines.

Detailed technical audits of processes and machine functions help to identify weaknesses, develop countermeasures, and implement them promptly. The goal: higher overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and output.

Liquid filling with room for improvement

This was also the case for a German manufacturer of liquid pharmaceuticals. The company wanted to increase its OEE via two levers: optimum speed of the production lines and the interaction of different machine parts in the line, from cleaning systems to filling and capping machines. Jams in the packaging material feed repeatedly caused short delays.

A pragmatic approach was chosen to ensure a prompt result. The equipment provider was to test three complex, well-running systems together with the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s experts. With Syntegon, the customer had an experienced partner at its side who not only supplies modern technology, but also comprehensively inspects it if required.

Technical audits as a service

An interdisciplinary team from Syntegon examines the machines on site. The result consists of data-based recommendations to target both easy-to-solve and more challenging issues. Solutions include determining optimal setup parameters, technical retrofits, and operator training.

In this case, the experts identified bottlenecks on the filling machine, as well as undesirable tilts and rotations of the primary packaging. The control software of many machines included functions that were not needed during operation but occasionally led to error messages – another reason to make program changes to the respective systems.

Thanks to the technical audit, the pharmaceutical manufacturer significantly exceeded its own ambitions: the company increased its output by an impressive ten percent on the three lines that were already running well. The successful collaboration with Syntegon has become “best practice” within the company, which would also like to standardize close agreements with its equipment suppliers outside Germany.

Would you also like to increase the performance of your systems? Our service experts are happy to help you.