Sometimes it is the supposedly minor problems in pharmaceutical production which bring everything to a standstill without any advance warning. Problems which could actually be easily resolved if a technical expert were on site at short notice. The generic drug manufacturer Chanelle Pharma recently found itself in exactly this situation.
The company has been deploying the 102i tablet press from Fette Compacting at one of its Irish production facilities since 2006. This machines usually used for process-oriented galenics and the production of smaller pharmaceutical batches. Then all of a sudden: nothing.
No machine connection
“There were problems with a software configuration of the machine processor,” remembers Declan Treacy, Director of Engineering and Facilities at the Chanelle Pharma. “The 102i was no longer capable of communicating with the Checkmaster which examines the tablets during in-process control of weight, thickness, diameter and hardness. This meant that we were initially unable to continue production with this machine.”
This is a situation in which service engineer Michael Furche from Fette Compacting has already acquired experience: “The problem experienced by Chanelle Pharma is basically pretty easy and fast to remedy. That’s why it is of course so annoying if something like that causes longer downtimes.”
The experts at Fette Compacting can often access the respective tablet press on their own computer and correct this type of problem via remote access. But that was not possible in this case, claimed Furche, as the machine was not connected to the internet. A different approach was selected instead.
LiveGuide, the problem-solver
“In order to solve such a problem remotely, we need to ask the customers lots of questions about the current software settings. Then the customer sends us lots of photos where everything is documented in detail,” explains Furche. “Sending this information by e-mail simply takes too long which is why we decided to use the new LiveGuide tool.”
LiveGuide is an innovative troubleshooting app developed by Fette Compacting’s digital spin-off OSDi. The real-time tool enables users to contact a technical expert at Fette Compacting via live chat, to exchange documents or hold video conferences. The app is available on all mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart glasses and enables personnel on site to implement the tips and instructions issued by the experts directly on the machine.
“Under current conditions, it could possibly have taken two or three days until an employee from Fette Compacting arrived on site to handle the problem. With the LiveGuide, everything happened much faster,” claims Declan Treacy. “We only had to install the app on one of our mobile devices and then we could get started. As a result, the problem was resolved in no time at all.”
Declan Treacy, Director of Engineering and Facilities at the Chanelle Pharma: "Thanks to OSDi LiveGuide, Fette Compacting was able to solve our problem fast and efficiently without having to send a technician."
110% satisfied
Thanks to numerous live images on site, he was quickly able to obtain an overview of the respective software status of the 102i, Furche remembers. Then, in a series of clearly defined steps, he instructed those responsible to find and eliminate the cause of the problem. “LiveGuide was the ideal solution for such a scenario in which urgent action was required but the machine was not directly connected to the internet.”
Declan Treacy is also enthusiastic about the smart tool: “We are 110 percent satisfied with the service. Thanks to OSDi LiveGuide, Fette Compacting was able to solve our problem fast and efficiently without having to send a technician. The dedication shown by those involved was fantastic and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration.”
For Human and Animal Health: Chanelle Pharma
Chanelle Pharma is Ireland’s largest manufacturer of generic drugs for human and veterinary medicines. The company supplies customers in 96 countries and holds more than 5,000 licenses for human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA. In the EU, Chanelle Pharma holds the highest number of veterinary pharmaceutical licenses in the market.
