Standardized Remote Servicing for Pharmaceutical Machines

Pharmaceutical production must run extremely reliably and efficiently. The Excellence United Service Portal opens up new opportunities: five leading manufacturers of specialized machines for pharmaceutical and medical products are pooling their services with a new remote platform. Rapid response times and more efficient production processes are the goal.

Specialists at Bausch+Ströbel, Fette Compacting, Glatt, Harro Höfliger und Uhlmann have exploited the technological opportunities offered by modern communication electronics to create a new unified standard for remote servicing with the Excellence United Service Portal. Thomas Weller, Chairman of Excellence United, explains how far-reaching this approach is: “Many manufacturers of pharmaceutical equipment offer individual solutions. We are convinced that a new approach is required here that encompasses the entire service portfolio and standardizes remote servicing.”   

Direct Contact with Experts

That is why the partner companies in the Excellence United alliance are equipping their machines with the Service Portal. It enables users to contact the manufacturer’s engineering experts directly via its Human Machine Interface (HMI) – for example, using online messaging, a webcam or by means of a whiteboard. A simple press of a button is all it takes to initiate a communication link over a secure data connection. Enquiries are answered exclusively by highly qualified service engineers over the alliance partner’s hotline. They have access to the machine data and can produce a diagnosis. Many faults can be eliminated directly in this way.

Comprehensive Service Covering Several Links of the Process Chain

Large companies particularly benefit from this technology because the different processes of high-volume pharmaceutical production are generally interconnected in various ways. It is not always possible to tie a fault down to one particular machine. “This is where an additional strength of our service offering becomes clear,” explains Weller. “Where necessary, experts from different companies can hold an online conference to clarify the cause of a production line fault – provided the equipment and machines concerned stem from the Excellence United network.” If the problem cannot be eliminated by remote maintenance, an ideally prepared service engineer is dispatched, already equipped with the right spare parts. That saves time.

Much More than Just Rapid Assistance

However, the effectiveness of this approach goes far beyond providing rapid assistance in the event of a breakdown. Many production stoppages can be avoided long in advance. The Service Portal contains a comprehensive maintenance management tool that can recommend the replacement of wear parts in good time, for example, during planned maintenance inspections. The exceptionally powerful nature of the system is also demonstrated in its optimization of production processes. If desired, the customer and manufacturer can scrutinize the entire life cycle of the machine and monitor and improve its effectiveness (OEE) at any time. 

More Secure than Home Banking

Just how important the issue of security was for the developers is made clear by Jackson Heslop, Head of Customer Service, with a simple comparison: “The remote servicing provided by Excellence United is far better protected than any home banking.” A connection can only be made if the machine client certificate matches the server´s certificate.

Focus on Efficiency

Experts calculate that the Service Portal will significantly benefit customers as a result of less downtime for maintenance and repairs, a reduction of unplanned outages and complete OEE monitoring over the entire life cycle of a machine. “In the long term this service will deliver great advantages for customers,” says Weller in conclusion and adds: “We are sure that comprehensive remote servicing will become a new standard in pharmaceutical equipment manufacturing.”