CORK, IRELAND, May 11, 2023
Catalyx has announced that its patent pending Digital LineClearance Assistant™ product has recently won innovation awards from both the Processing & Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) and Bionow, in recognition of the increased efficiency and safety it offers for pharmaceutical packaging and fill/finish production lines.
The Bionow ‘Product of the Year’ award is presented to products with innovative approaches to improve human healthcare, and the PPMA ‘Innovative Vision Solution’ award is presented to innovative image processing systems that significantly improve the efficiency of packaging and manufacturing.
The Digital LineClearance Assistant uses a network of smart digital cameras and state-of-the-art deep learning technology to conduct the line clearance inspections required each time a line is switched from one pharmaceutical batch or product to another. The system checks an entire production line at the same time, notifying operators immediately of any rogue components. This can reduce inspection times by up to 85% compared with error-prone, inefficient, and time-consuming manual procedures which may include hundreds of individual steps.
Line clearance occurs on an increasingly frequent basis due to the trend for smaller batch volumes, which have also become more fragmented due to supply chain challenges and different regulatory and customer language requirements. The Digital LineClearance Assistant increases efficiency which means that many more batches can be processed in the same amount of time, which can potentially increase revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The product is inherently safer than manual inspection as it reduces the need for operators to inspect all hard to reach and dimly lit areas of the production line. If a deviation is spotted, operators only have to record and correct the relevant area. Patient safety is also enhanced because the system can detect the presence of tiny rogue elements which the human eye may not see, reducing the chance of product contamination.
With continuous electronic documentation, the Digital LineClearance Assistant provides full traceability and supports regulatory compliance, including 21 CFR Part 11. It also avoids the need for printed Line Clearance Work Instructions, commonly printed at the start of each day for every line, thereby eliminating many tonnes of unnecessary waste and saving on printing costs.
Commenting on the awards, Product Manager Dave Taylor said: “With the increasing frequency of line changeovers, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and line utilisation rates in the pharmaceutical industry have plummeted over recent years. We recognised this problem early on and have spent over three years working with industry partners to develop the Digital LineClearance Assistant. So, we’re really thrilled to have won these industry awards in recognition of this work, and the system’s ability to reduce line changeover times and significantly boost efficiency and capex utilisation, while making the process much safer for operators.”
For more information, about the Catalyx Digital LineClearance Assistant contact us.