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Businesses in all industries face an ever-increasing range of cybersecurity risks. This includes companies in the manufacturing sector. When you look at regulated industries such as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, where patient safety is a top priority, cybersecurity risk levels can be even higher. Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions almost always modify existing risks …

The Cybersecurity Risks Created by Industry 4.0’s Increased Attack Surface Read More »

For pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, repeatability is a primary goal when developing new manufacturing software solutions. The concept is simple – you select a facility or production line for the initial project, creating a software solution to deliver on your manufacturing and business objectives. Once you have that operational and delivering results, you can …

Build Once, Deploy Multiple Times in Seconds – Cloud-Based Solutions for Pharma & MedTech Manufacturers Read More »

Moving your business closer to becoming a Smart Factory is widely regarded as essential to continuing competitiveness and profitability. Driving efficiency savings, making productivity gains, dealing with skills shortages – these are just some of the challenges that manufacturers face, all of which can be considerably mitigated with Smart Factory solutions. How do you get …

The Essential Steps in Your Smart Factory Evolution Read More »

Risks can enter an automation project at just about any stage. Those risks can result in serious consequences from budget and schedule overruns to unplanned downtime, disrupted supply chains, and more. Therefore, it’s important to de-risk your automation project at every possible stage. This ensures errors are reduced to a minimum, as well as ensuring the project …

8 Essential Elements For De-Risking An Automation Project Read More »

Cloud infrastructure solutions, as well as Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),

Like most businesses, there are several values and priorities that are important to us at SL Controls.

The business case for implementing smart factory technologies is compelling, with tangible improvements in revenue, output, quality, and safety, alongside reduced costs. It is not surprising, therefore, that smart manufacturing technologies are becoming an increasingly important competition driver. The technologies that are part of the Smart Factory include cloud computing, edge computing, vision systems, robotic …

Transitioning to Smart Manufacturing – A Practical and Cost-Effective Approach Read More »

Advances in Smart Manufacturing technologies are changing the manufacturing sector forever. However, those technologies don’t change your core priorities and goals. New technologies or not, you still need to deliver high-quality products that your customers need and want, plus you must maximise competitiveness, productivity, and profitability. Marrying up a transition to Smart Manufacturing with your …

The Business Case for Smart Manufacturing Read More »

The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) is due to release guidance on Computer Software Assurance. That guidance aims to put critical thinking at the centre of Computer System Validation (CSV) processes. In our latest infographic, we highlight the main differences between traditional CSV and the new Computer Software Assurace (CSA) approach.   Traditional CSV …

Infographic: Computer System Validation Vs. Computer Software Assurance Read More »

Technology and computerised systems have evolved greatly over the past 20 years. In that time, cloud computing has become mainstream, and big data is here. When you also add the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), it’s clear that new manufacturing and business technologies will be truly transformative in the coming years. Yet, in the Life …

Is Your Company Ready for the FDA’s Upcoming Guidance on Computer Software Assurance? Read More »

“Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” That’s a quote from Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company. It’s a famous quote, but what does it have to do with flexible manufacturing and mass customisation? Does it have any relevance in the …

How Industry 4.0 Supports Flexibility and Mass Customisation Read More »

It is common to look at the trends that will impact smart manufacturing over the next 12 months and beyond at this time of year. We are in unprecedented times, though, making the manufacturing trends that will impact the life sciences sector in 2021 even more important. Here are some of the key points you …

Top Smart Factory Trends in 2021 for the Life Sciences Sector Read More »

Understanding what is happening now on your production line, and predicting what will happen in the future, is essential for maximising OEE, optimising productivity, and improving business profitability. You can achieve all these things with digital twin technologies. Digital twin technology is one of the most important Industry 4.0 technologies currently available. Digital twins give …

What is Digital Twin Technology and How It Benefits Manufacturing in the Industry 4.0 Era? Read More »

Implementing Industry 4.0 and smart factory solutions in your manufacturing operation requires a fresh approach to solution delivery, platform implementation, and IT infrastructure. Central to most solutions is the use of cloud technologies, such as Microsoft Azure. At SL Controls, we have extensive experience working with a range of cloud solution providers. Plus, we offer …

Benefits of Microsoft Azure for Manufacturers in the Life Sciences & Technology Sectors Read More »

The manufacturing / ramp strategies in use on your production lines are crucial to the success of your business. Specifically, they enable you to profitably produce the required volume of products and, in most cases, leave room for growth in the future. Smart factory solutions allow you to take this a stage further by adding …

11 Manufacturing / Ramp Strategies that Smart Factory Solutions Facilitate Read More »

As with many other people across Ireland in similar positions, the early days and weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown for Darragh McMorrow involved a process of transitioning on multiple levels. Darragh is SL Controls Commercial Director. For Darragh, the transitions involved adapting and adjusting in the workplace, at home, and personally. There were many challenges …

Lockdown Stories: Managing the Transition with Darragh McMorrow Read More »

Expanding manufacturing capacity is essential to meet growing customer demand, but it also presents your business with an opportunity to take further steps towards becoming a Smart Factory. You can even go further than this – implementing an SL Controls Smart Factory solution when expanding manufacturing capacity can improve your overall business and make the …

Expanding Manufacturing Capacity – the Ideal Time to Implement Factory Automation Solutions Read More »

Like a lot of companies, SL Controls had to pivot quickly when the first lockdown was introduced in March of this year. The restrictions since then have varied as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic, but life and work for SL Controls employees remains very different from what it used to be. We spoke to …

Lockdown Stories: Taking on New Challenges and Supporting Local Causes Read More »

The smart factory and digital manufacturing technologies are the future of manufacturing. That said, change in business carries risks, particularly when those changes involve creating fundamentally different business and manufacturing processes. Smart factory technologies are not immune to such risks. One of the clearest examples of how the smart factory can go wrong comes from …

Too Much Too Soon – Avoiding Factory Automation & Smart Factory Implementation Risks Read More »