Case Study · Pharmaceutical
Vitamin Production for a Major Pharmaceutical Company
Ingredient automation plus ERP interface on a pharmaceutical vitamin line.
Project Summary
A major pharmaceutical company required an ingredient automation system — weighing through mixing — that could manage the recipe flexibility demanded by its full line of vitamins while interfacing in a near-real-time mode to the company's existing ERP system.
Challenge
Innovate a Master Recipe concept that allowed a direct transfer of a Shop Floor Order containing the Master Recipe, and execute it without requiring any intermediate recipe management system.
- Weigh from nine Super Sack stations, two Drum Dump stations and 10 IBC stations into a Super Sack traveling scale — Work in Process (WIP) Batch
- Transfer WIP bags, bulk material from silo and Super Sack traveling scale into the mixer
- Weigh final product from the mixer into Super Sacks for delivery to storage or tablet presses
- Provide data management — inventory, shop floor orders, usage data, production information, critical alarms and process parameters for the electronic batch records — utilizing SQL Server, Oracle and XML technologies
Ingredient automation projects require strategic planning, careful execution, and perfect follow up. With BCI as our partner we are able to realize success in all critical aspects of our projects from concept to completion. Our jobs are well designed, implemented on-time, and completed within budget. Thanks to BCI we are able to provide our customers with systems to meet the demands of today's business and with the flexibility of the future in mind.
Solution & Benefits
BCI provided a robust, validated ingredient automation system built on current control and database technologies. All Wonderware HMI screens used a Terminal Services based application for an easy to use, easy to maintain Server/Client architecture communicating with Rockwell Automation's ControlLogix system.
Results
- Accurate ingredient delivery
- Recipe management that runs without an intermediate system
- Flexible system
- Near-real-time ERP integration
Need Validated Ingredient Automation?
Tell us about your recipes, your records requirements and your ERP.