Pharmaceutical Packagers Discover Efficiency Gains from Other Industries

A common theme found in production facilities today is the need to gain greater production from existing assets. O.E.E. (overall equipment effectiveness) and other metrics are being used to measure the performance of existing production lines to a level not seen in years past.

As manufacturers in all packaging industries add new product lines or consolidate production facilities, system performance improvement is gaining ever-increasing importance. Floor space has also become a resource that must be carefully managed and conserved.

With the propagation of new packages, many manufacturers are pressed to add additional capabilities to their production lines. Often, as capabilities are added, the O.E.E. of a line decreases. Production efficiencies are seriously impacted by the inability of diverse systems in packaging lines to constantly operate in a balanced state. Even if each piece of equipment is carefully matched to line demands, the differences in acceleration/deceleration, startup needs, loading, and micro stops create the need for sophisticated controls and buffering of product flow between production cells.

Traditional buffering solutions typically rely on gaps created between containers. Accumulation time is gained when downstream stops, causing the gaps to close ... distance equals time. There are several problems that arise from these types of systems. First, because this traditional system is nearly full all of the time, it is an inefficient means of accumulating. Most important is the concern many manufactures have of the product pressure that these systems create, which by itself can lead to product damage.

Traditional Problem
Manufacturers of high-volume, lower margin products like soft drink, water, beer and personal care have been struggling with this problem for many years. In these industries, fractions of a percent in efficiency are critical to the financial success or failure of the organization. Not only do their production lines run very high O.E.E. numbers but do so while running at very high rates of speed compared to most industries.

Unique Solutions
Recent technologies from these high volume and high efficiency market segments are finding their way into the pharmaceutical industry. Buffer systems used in industries such as the beverage industry provide a multitude of value added benefits that ensure cost reduction, space reduction, and ultimately higher throughput due to efficiency increases. The most effective buffers provide first in-first out, pressure-less accumulation. These space saving spiral systems have both an infeed and discharge chain that are linked only by a product transfer device that is mechanically connected to both. One conveyor is an extension of the upstream equipment and serves as the infeed for the accumulator. The other conveyor is dedicated to the next downstream equipment and serves as the accumulator’s outfeed. The product transfer remains in a fixed position between the conveyors under normal operation, moving products from infeed to outfeed. However, if there is a speed change in either of the conveyors, the transfer is moved in the direction of the faster of the two.

For Example
If the outfeed slows or stops, the transfer device is pulled in the direction of the moving infeed, and containers are accumulated on both conveyors in the process. Because most packaging lines run progressively faster downstream, product is de-accumulated when the outfeed resumes. The accumulation process is fully automatic, controlled solely by the movement of the conveyors. Because the transfer is operated solely by the differential speed of the two conveyors, it immediately reacts to even the smallest change in product flow. In the end, this type of accumulator perfectly serves the needs of both upstream and downstream systems, allowing them to operate at their maximum efficiency. The differences of acceleration/deceleration are automatically absorbed by the accumulator. Basic line operation gains efficiency because it becomes more stable as each system is able to operate in its own "sweet spot". The product pressure that results from traditional accumulation does not exist, and product queue that exits these systems remains constant regardless of conditions upstream of the system.

Startups are also improved as the result of modulated bottle flow, which insures better downstream efficiency. For example, if the equipment downstream of the buffer operates most effectively with 2" between each bottle, these accumulators have the capability to deliver bottles with a 2" gap to downstream, even if the bottles are delivered to the system randomly.

Additional Benefits
Another advantage to this form of buffering is the reduction of line control technologies needed to keep the line operating in balance. With the virtual elimination of machine interdependence brought about when systems are separated by accumulators, their disparate speeds no longer affect one another.

Therefore, packaging lines do not require complex control systems to monitor and adjust speeds. If this simple principal is applied to a complete packaging operation, the reduction in control logic and complexity can be 60% or more. Due to the fact that these systems are configured in a space saving spiral, the size of a line may be reduced by 30%. Finally, the pressure-less operation of these systems means that bottles are not allowed to contact one another, virtually eliminating product damage.

Many pharmaceutical packagers are discovering that no matter what the product or industry, the problems that are encountered due to the changing demands of packaging are remarkably similar. The solutions that are considered mainstream in one industry may be revolutionary to another.