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Cybersecurity, system security, and information security are challenges faced by all industries and sectors. For the manufacturing sector, these challenges are particularly acute, especially in relation to industrial automation control systems. The threats to industrial automation control systems are varied: Targeted external attack to deliberately hinder production Targeted external attack to impact the state or …

Security Challenges of Industrial Automation Control Systems Read More »

There are a lot of terms and abbreviations used when discussing process validation, with some more common than others. Understanding these terms and abbreviations is important given the crucial role process validation plays in relation to compliance, product quality, and production line productivity. QBD – Quality by Design In a QBD approach to manufacturing a …

QBD, CQA, CPP, PAT – Understanding Process Validation Terminology Read More »

Like all manufacturers, companies in regulated sectors must innovate and improve their manufacturing processes to remain competitive. Driving efficiencies and increasing productivity levels are ongoing objectives. In addition to this drive to remain competitive, manufacturers in regulated industries must deal with the added burden of compliance. Also, requirements in many heavily regulated industries are changing …

A New Approach to Delivering Bespoke Software Solutions to the Regulated Sector Read More »

Integrating equipment, machines, platforms, and sites to improve productivity is a key objective of most production lines. Automating processes to drive efficiencies is another crucial objective. How can you achieve these objectives with minimal risk and cost, however, while also ensuring full regulatory compliance? The traditional way of automating processes and integrating the elements that …

The Smart – and Cost-Effective – Way to Improve the Performance of Production Lines Read More »

At SL Controls, our validation services include 21 CFR Part 11 compliant software, batch execution systems, source code reviews, process validation, software validation, and equipment validation. Watch our video to find out more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wkDSrjyBQM

Batch changeovers are an essential part of many manufacturing facilities. They also represent a loss of productivity, however. After all, when you are changing batches, you are not producing products. This is amplified further in pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities where the batch changeover and batch control processes are subject to regulations. So, how do you reduce …

Automation of the Batch Changeover Process – Saving the Time Between Batches You Don’t Have Read More »

The manufacture of safe and high-quality pharmaceutical products requires good manufacturing processes. This is the goal of Process Validation, i.e. ensuring pharmaceutical products consistently meet quality standards and expectations. The way to achieve this is through the Three Stages of Process Validation. The Three Stages of Process Validation is a protocol published in 2011 by …

The 3 Stages of Process Validation Explained Read More »

Industrial automation control systems are becoming increasingly crucial to manufacturing in a range of sectors. They are often viewed as technical solutions, however, they come under the remit of the senior engineering team at the coalface. The fact is, though, industrial automation control systems impact the wider enterprise, which means they can significantly improve your …

Industrial Automation Control Systems and How They Improve Businesses Read More »

OEE, TEEP, and OOE are terms often used in the manufacturing industry. What do they mean, however, how do you calculate them, and why are they important? OEE, TEEP, and OOE are different methods of defining the availability of your production line. In other words, they measure the difference between how much good products you …

OEE, TEEP, and OOE – What is the Difference? Read More »

Remaining competitive and profitable requires constant improvements in productivity, customer service, quality, regulatory compliance, and flexibility. Industry 4.0 promises to deliver these improvements. Often, however, there is too much hype and/or misunderstanding surrounding Industry 4.0. It’s time for some clarity. The Industrial Revolutions Let’s start at the beginning: Industry 4.0 is another way of describing …

Demystifying Industry 4.0 Read More »

OEE is one of the most important performance measurements in modern manufacturing facilities. By optimising OEE, you can increase capacity, reduce costs, improve quality, and/or increase efficiencies in your production lines. Now, here is the really interesting part – it’s possible to achieve significant performance gains in your manufacturing facility by optimising OEE. Before getting …

OEE and Why It’s Important Read More »

Serialisation is about securing the supply chain, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. At a very basic level, it involves applying a serial number and other features to a product, so it can be checked and cross-referenced as it moves through the supply chain to the patient/end user. As you might expect, however, serialisation involves much …

Key Serialisation Terms You Need to Know Read More »

When thinking about the opportunities that Industry 4.0 presents, you get a sense of the excitement that great industrialists of the past must have felt with the introduction of steam power and electricity. These previous industrial revolutions changed the world for the better, and Industry 4.0 will do the same. What about its impact on …

How Industry 4.0 Will Benefit the Pharmaceutical Industry Read More »

The way your manufacturing facility processes data is becoming more and more important. This is true of manufacturers in all industries as consumer demands increase and competition becomes more advanced. Data processing is particularly important, however, in heavily regulated industries, such as the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. In these industries, the benefits of automating …

Benefits of Automating Regulatory Compliant Data Processes Read More »

Data is essential in modern manufacturing. Without data, you must make decisions based on guesswork and hunches. It is also harder to identify risks and opportunities without data. In addition, modern regulatory systems are data dependent. It is not enough to have data, however, as you must also have data integrity. After all, the value …

Data Integrity in the Manufacturing Process Read More »

The deadline for the implementation of solutions to meet the new Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) is fast approaching – the new regulations go live on 9 February 2019. You can find out more about the regulations, including how the new systems will work, on our blog Falsified Medicines Directive – Are You Ready? What about …

Falsified Medicines Directive – Potential Challenges You Should be Aware Of Read More »

If you run a manufacturing facility, you need to know the difference between digitisation and digitalisation (or digitization and digitalization if you are reading this in the US). The difference is crucial to understanding Industry 4.0, plus it will help you develop strategies to transition your facilities into smart factories. The difference between the two …

Digitisation and Digitalisation – You Need to Know the Difference Read More »

Successful projects don’t happen by accident. Instead, they need carefully developed and well-established structures. At SL Controls, we use the QUAD approach. The QUAD approach for the successful delivery of projects is built on four pillars – Quality, Utilise, Accomplish, and Design. We are going to focus on the Design pillar in this blog. The …

Design – the Prerequisite to a Successful Project Read More »

There are machines, software solutions, processes, and equipment that can and will improve your production line output as well as the profitability of your business. There are also things that will cost money to implement but will deliver negligible improvements. Making a distinction between the two is the conundrum facing managers in today’s manufacturing facilities. …

Convincing Management it’s time for Machine Monitoring Software Read More »

The deadline for compliance with the new Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) is fast approaching. If you haven’t already taken steps to upgrade the systems and processes in your manufacturing facility, you should do so now. In most situations, this will involve an enterprise serialisation solution and an upgrade to your packaging lines. Below we answer …

Falsified Medicines Directive – Are You Ready? Read More »

At SL Controls, we have developed an approach called QUAD for the successful delivery of projects. Each of the letters in QUAD stands for an essential pillar – Quality, Utilise, Accomplish, and Design. We use the QUAD approach in the delivery of all our projects. This includes automation, controls, serialisation, and validation projects. QUAD has …

Accomplish – Executing a Successful Project Read More »

Turning factories into smart factories is a key consideration for everyone in manufacturing. After all, Industry 4.0 promises significant benefits in terms of efficiency savings, productivity improvements, and enhanced business intelligence. What next step can you take, however, that will help turn your manufacturing facility into a smart factory? TOTALsolution is the answer. TOTALsolution is …

Video – The Smart Way to Make Your Factory Smarter Read More »

How long do batch changeovers take on your production lines? These processes should not take longer than a minute or two. What about ensuring batch traceability? Are your current batch traceability systems inefficient, open to errors, and time-consuming? You should have an automated process that provides instant and full traceability on every product and batch. …

Video – Automating Batch Changeovers and Traceability Read More »

Data is central to almost all significant improvements your production line and overall operation will experience over the coming years. Industry 4.0, enhancing OEE, automating additional processes, integrating machines and platforms – all this and more relies on data. In simple terms, this means a machine putting out data and another machine or system acting …

Harmonising Data from Different Manufacturing Control Systems Read More »

Data has never been more important than it is today. It is how you use that data, however, that will determine the success of your production lines in the future. It is crucial to have integrated systems so that data from one machine or process can be read and used by other machines. This should …

Video – Making Data Work in Your Business Across Multiple Manufacturing Facilities Read More »

You can improve OEE in your production line by up to 20 percent by introducing a new product from SL Controls, TOTALline. You can do this at a cost that is up to 50 percent cheaper than comparable solutions with similar features. In addition, TOTALline improves decision making as well as delivering business efficiency savings. …

Delivering OEE Improvements of Up To 20% – The TOTALline Journey Read More »

Integration, automation, and making better use of data – these are items on the agenda of most manufacturing facilities in Ireland. They apply in all industries, but they are particularly important in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and food and beverage industries, not least because of compliance and regulatory pressures. Taking it a stage further, most …

The National Manufacturing Exhibition – Addressing Industry Challenges Read More »

Serialisation in the pharmaceutical industry is one of the best tools society has to combat counterfeit medicines. What are the facts relating to this issue, though, and what do you need to know now about serialisation? Counterfeit medicines are a risk to public health. They are often not effective so don’t benefit patients. If that …

Serialisation in the Pharmaceutical Industry – What You Need to Know Read More »

Do you remember the dark days at the start of the financial crises in 2007 and 2008? It’s hard to believe it was more than 10 years ago when UK customers of the Northern Rock bank could not access their money because of a bank run. Then there was the “St Patrick’s Day Massacre” on …

The Boomtime for Construction Site Sparks Becoming Automation Engineers Read More »

You don’t have to look very far on the SL Controls’ website or any other material we produce to see we are vendor neutral. What does being vendor neutral mean, however? More importantly, what benefits does vendor neutrality bring to your business? What Does Being Vendor-Neutral Mean? Vendor neutrality is both a business approach and …

Importance of Being Vendor Neutral Read More »