Michalle Adkins from Emerson explains how real-time Scheduling software reduces errors and enhances production efficiency.
Shutterstock - Tada Images
Scheduling plays a mission-critical role in life sciences manufacturing because it supports systems and processes that preserve product integrity, ensure regulatory compliance, prevent costly delays or errors, optimise equipment and personnel utilisation, and enable agility in responding to market and operational changes. Typically, day-to-day scheduling is manually managed using Excel spreadsheets. This approach is error-prone, inefficient, lacks schedule visibility, and does not support real-time data integration. When takt times are reduced, a static scheduling approach can be insufficient. Usually, increased production creates a significant rise in the number and complexity of activities at a manufacturing site. Coordinating these using a manual or static schedule can become unsustainable with potential consequences of delays, inefficiencies, and misalignment across teams.
This was the experience of one of our customers producing active pharmaceutical ingredients. Prior to modernising their scheduling approach, the company managed two production trains using 14 separate Excel spreadsheets, each built on its own scheduling model. One of these models included over 1700 activities required to produce a single batch. The process involved manually extracting data from multiple systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), maintenance management, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and manufacturing execution system (MES). These spreadsheets were used to create and manage schedules, with updates entered manually by different team members.
While still common across life science manufacturing, manual scheduling is inherently fragile and introduces significant risks and inefficiencies. Large, complex spreadsheets are susceptible to crashing or becoming corrupted, potentially resulting in the loss of critical schedule data and resulting in production delays. Manual entry of data by multiple people and from different sources increases the risk of errors, which can lead to incorrect batch sequencing and resource conflicts. The lack of real-time data meant decisions were sometimes based on outdated or inaccurate information. Limited schedule visibility often led to personnel operating under different assumptions, which in turn increased the risk of execution errors, missed production windows, increased downtime and higher operational costs.
Selecting an automated alternative
A major driver behind the customer’s decision to implement scheduling software was the objective of reducing takt time to enable greater efficiency, faster delivery and enhanced competitiveness. Given the complexity of the site, with multiple equipment constraints, it became clear that Excel spreadsheets and manual data entry were no longer fit for purpose. To meet their goals, they needed an automated, real-time scheduling system. They determined that DeltaV Real Time Scheduling (RTS) from Emerson was the ideal solution, offering the capabilities and flexibility required to support their complex operations.
DeltaV RTS is a dynamic scheduling solution that eliminates the need for manual schedule updates. It leverages predictive modelling to anticipate system behaviour and supports informed decision-making, both in real time and for future planning. The system captures the true constraints of a plant, allowing the schedule to dynamically adapt to changes on the plant floor to provide a path to maximum production output. Teams see the operational impact of manufacturing operations changes as they occur and can even run scenario planning exercises to test potential changes before they happen. By leveraging comprehensive organisational data, DeltaV RTS delivers accurate scheduling insights and in-depth capacity analysis, supporting agile, data-driven manufacturing.
Intelligent scheduling drives down takt time
DeltaV RTS provides the customer with a bespoke facility model that generates the constraint-aware production schedule across all activities. Unlike Excel, where updates are often isolated and do not filter through to downstream activities, this model-driven approach ensures that changes cascade across the entire schedule in real time, enhancing continuity and precision. The system supports scheduling to the hour – essential for achieving reduced takt times in a highly regulated and fast-paced production environment.
Roles and responsibilities
The customer has a small team of production schedulers that manage the DeltaV RTS model via the real-time modelling system (RTMS) application. These models are published to the DeltaV RTS WebApp where operators and support team can simultaneously interact with the live schedule. Once the team has a centrally hosted live schedule it becomes the single source of truth for the plant. With hundreds of users now able to access and interact with it, the transition from Excel has produced a significant leap forward in terms of accessibility, accuracy and collaboration.
DeltaV RTS supports a wide range of users. Operators can confirm activity completion and add contextual notes directly to the system. Dispensary staff use the schedule to guide dispensing and update task status. Production assistants can create and release planned orders and enter the process order numbers back into DeltaV RTS. Maintenance teams access a comprehensive view of maintenance activities, while laboratory and environmental monitoring (EM) staff can track samples and perform biosafety cabinet (BSC) monitoring. Each team can interact with DeltaV RTS via customised role-specific views – featuring daily activity schedules, equipment resource timelines, and production overviews that include past and future operations – offering a holistic yet granular view of operations.
Schedule scenario planning and upset recovery
DeltaV RTS is also supporting scenario planning by enabling the manufacturer to generate alternative schedule options quickly in response to production upsets. The software allows them to balance production activities with staffing constraints, assess the impact of failure modes or unexpected downtime, and model the introduction of new products. This capability supports proactive decision-making by providing accurate simulations based on real-time operational data.
Integration and data visibility
The customer has integrated the DeltaV RTS with a Pi system to provide real-time visibility of buffer tank levels and ensure that buffer make-up quantities are accurate. In addition, connection of the DeltaV RTS and MES to data visualisation software enables the dispensary to be informed about the availability of materials for dispensing. The software also supports potential integration with systems such as the MES and/or distributed control system for production unit operation timing or equipment status, SAP for order handling, and the maintenance management system to enhance coordination of scheduled work.
Another valuable outcome has been the capture, formalisation and centralisation of previously informal operational knowledge. Information previously stored in OneNote files or dispersed across SharePoint folders is now embedded in the RTS model and made accessible to the wider organisation. Also, because the DeltaV RTS WebApp enables real-time schedule interaction on the production floor, this removes the need for schedulers to be constantly online and allows frontline staff to manage minor updates independently.
Additional capabilities
During the implementation phase, the customer requested two enhancements to the DeltaV RTS. The first enhancement focused on improving day-to-day operational efficiency. Emerson was asked to integrate QR codes that linked scheduled orders to orders in the MES. Previously, operators had to scroll through up to 40 orders and manually select the correct one. This introduced the risk of choosing the wrong order. With the enhancement, operators simply scan a QR code associated with a specific order. This is a small change that has made a big difference to the user in terms of reducing errors and speeding up interaction with the workflows.
The second enhancement has allowed the customer to send real-time RTS notifications via Microsoft Teams to keep all relevant stakeholders informed when deviations occur. This capability has strengthened cross-functional communication and enabled coordinated responses to real-time production issues. These two product improvements highlight the importance of working with a responsive and collaborative partner like Emerson who understands users’ operational challenges and can adapt solutions to meet evolving needs.
Conclusion
Accurate and efficient scheduling is critical to ensuring regulatory compliance, preventing delays and errors, optimising equipment and personnel, and driving more agile operations. When moving from traditional paper-based scheduling to a software-driven digital solution, operations teams not only have a significantly easier time meeting those benchmarks, but also have reduced risk and inefficiency in the process.