How Smart Digital Strategies are Leading the Way in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

The evolution of pharmaceutical manufacturing is driven largely by the rising demands facing the industry. Inflation, strict regulations and a greater demand for quality control and supply chain visibility are notable here. Additionally, as medical therapies advance, there is an increased pressure to deliver higher volumes of product. So, how do manufacturers meet these demands, while also sticking to key business goals and strategies such as containing costs? 

Similarly to many other sectors in manufacturing, future success hinges on digitalization. By adopting and deploying new technologies for operations and maintenance, pharmaceutical manufacturers can meet most demands with confidence. 

A Practical and Proactive Approach 

Quite simply, data is the magic behind better decision-making. Although in practice, obtaining accurate and actionable data is a more complex undertaking. To meet rising global demands, pharmaceutical companies will need to embrace new approaches that involve modern digital tools and methodologies. This means implementing a connected ‘ecosystem’ of technologies that can work together by sharing important data across vast organizations and operations.  

Get this approach right, and invest what is needed, and manufacturers will realize a host of benefits. Good data enables organizations to improve predictability and reliability, which in turn, facilitates better planning. New technologies are empowering pharmaceutical companies to increase throughput, within budget, while also meeting safety, quality and efficacy expectations. Using technologies that work in tandem and communicate with each other (the ‘ecosystem’) crucial information can be shared across production facilities, reducing risks, ensuring traceability and decreasing downtime.  

Deeper Insights Through Digitalization  

As technology innovates rapidly, pharmaceutical companies on a digital transformation journey will encounter many new and exciting opportunities to improve their asset performance. The ability to obtain real-time, accurate data, that is widely visible, is one such capability. Peyton Griggers, our Executive Industry Consultant, says, “Real-time visibility into asset performance makes it possible for a pharmaceutical manufacturer to optimize maintenance based on current conditions.”  

The insights gathered are therefore a central component for companies striving to meet, or exceed, quality control demands and regulatory requirements. Manufacturers can obtain a clearer picture of the current standing of numerous operations or assets. From this, they can sooner tell where action (such as repairs or maintenance) is needed, or where processes can be tweaked to optimize production. 

Regulations and Compliance Considerations    

As regulations become ever stricter, compliance is essential for the future success of any pharmaceutical manufacturer. From safety and sustainability to sector-specific requirements, there are lots of crucial areas to cater to. Many manufacturers now, for example, are required to adhere to GMP and FDA 21 CFR PART 11/Annex 11. Technology can help. Although, a clear strategy and robust governance is needed alongside to secure success.  

Executive Industry Consultant Rick Standish notes, “Only when we can transform and fully integrate the digital resources of production, asset and facility configuration data, does it give us full transparency to make real-time optimizations, provide ready access to batch qualification and process documentation needed for regulatory compliance.”       

Laying the Groundwork for Future Success  

To plan for success, players in the pharmaceutical industry must become adept in a juggling act: maintaining the lifecycle of assets, alongside running secure and optimized operations. By tapping into the latest digital tools and features, such as sensors, software and autonomous technologies, the manufacturing process can be enhanced at every avenue. 

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions can assist here. Hexagon’s HxGN EAM, for example, is an industry-leading asset management solution designed to extend asset lifecycles and improve productivity.  

These solutions are at the core of digital transformation, empowering companies to create more reliable and efficient production processes. Griggers says that “When you digitize your manufacturing backbone, you can automatically share data about risks and upcoming tasks with everyone involved in managing asset lifecycles. This makes it possible to implement processes and workflows that improve collaboration — and with it, efficiency — across the entire organization.” 

Good data, that is actionable and easily visible to all those who need it, enables organizations to make better decisions, improve safety and efficiency, and keep within cost constraints.  

To learn more and find out how Hexagon supports life sciences companies to realize their full potential through digitalization, reach out here.