Emerson has announced an enhancement to its DeltaV Real-Time Scheduling (RTS) software that extends integrated, real-time manufacturing scheduling capabilities to quality control (QC) labs.
Emerson
The new capability automates complex scheduling rules and logic to optimise lab operations and keep QC activities continuously synchronised with changing production conditions, helping life sciences manufacturers improve throughput, reduce delays and accelerate decision-making.
QC labs face numerous challenges that limit efficiency and scalability. Labs receive many samples from multiple points throughout the manufacturing processes across a plant and must conduct a wide range of tests on those samples. As labs navigate equipment availability, multi-sample test capabilities, technician capacity, incoming samples and shifting priorities, scheduling quickly becomes too complex for the whiteboards, spreadsheets and lab information management systems commonly used today.
“Well-run QC labs are a keystone of ensuring quality and meeting delivery commitments. By driving efficiency, QC teams ensure samples are tested with results returned promptly, enabling manufacturing to proceed without delays and quality teams to promptly determine product disposition so therapies can reach patients on time,” said Kristel Biehler, vice president of life sciences for Emerson’s process systems and solutions business. “QC scheduling in DeltaV RTS software is a simple and effective tool providing automated, real-time scheduling to integrate the lab with the shop floor to make the most effective use of resources and eliminate bottlenecks.”
The enhancement provides fit-for-purpose QC lab scheduling directly into Emerson’s proven DeltaV RTS software, harmonising schedules with manufacturing operations. Users can ensure that testing is executed correctly at the right time on the right equipment, including both production-dependent and final product testing. Integration with real-time lab information management systems automates lab schedule alignment, ensuring accurate updates to changing priorities and sample availability. The software empowers teams to implement and automate complex rules to optimise the lab, such as analytical test run sample batching and other advanced scheduling strategies.
This expanded DeltaV RTS functionality enables the scheduling rules to be configured in a flexible manner, which empowers lab schedulers to quickly adapt to the dynamic needs of the testing lab, even when supporting new product introductions. Ultimately, this functionality can reduce the manual QC lab scheduling effort and improve on-time delivery of test results to enable faster, more reliable release of batches.