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Implementing change in a validated system is a crucial time for ensuring it remains controlled. As a result, it is essential that change management is carefully planned and implemented. This is particularly important for compliance reasons, not least because a carefully planned and documented change management process demonstrates to regulators that validated systems remain in …

The Importance of Change Management in Validated Systems Read More »

Unplanned downtime caused by equipment or machine breakdown costs money and eats into your profits. Modern technology provides a solution that offers significant improvements compared to other methods that are used to maintain machines and prevent unplanned downtime. That solution is predictive maintenance. In other words, using real-time data to predict in advance when a …

How You Can Increase Profits by Moving from Planned to Predictive Maintenance Read More »

Validation impacts many critical aspects of your business from productivity to compliance to patient safety to product quality. It’s not enough, however, to have an effective validation process. To remain competitive and prepare your business for the future, you need an optimised validation process. This means lean validation. A lean validation approach delivers everything you …

Lean Validation: Why It’s Important and How to Achieve It Read More »

At SL Controls, we work on projects that involve improving OEE and overall productivity in manufacturing businesses. We do this by integrating platforms, equipment, machines, and systems to streamline the production process, enhance automation, improve the use of data, give greater management oversight, make production lines more efficient, and more. As our clients are primarily …

An Introduction to Equipment Systems Engineering Read More »

In manufacturing environments, vendor neutrality typically refers to software platforms and solutions that can operate regardless of machine or equipment vendors. The aim of this type of software is usually to improve performance as well as deepening levels of integration on the production line to enhance efficiency and productivity. Even for software platforms and solutions …

What Is Vendor Neutral and Why It’s Important to Your Manufacturing Facility? Read More »

One of the most important changes occurring in manufacturing at the moment is the convergence of IT and OT. This needs to be not only on your radar, but part of your current plans for improving your business today and helping you stay competitive in the future. In most manufacturing businesses, there are two types …

The Convergence of IT and OT – Giving You a Competitive Edge Read More »

As a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer, serialisation has probably been a key focus for your business for some time now. What about aggregation in serialisation, though? What are the legal requirements? What are the business benefits of aggregation, and will it deliver a return on investment? What is Aggregation? Aggregation can be a part …

What is Aggregation in Serialisation and Why Is It Important? Read More »

Ireland needs more engineers today, with most people predicting this demand will go on long into the future. Therefore, there is a skills shortage that must be overcome and women are likely to be a key part of the solution. Just how bad is the skills shortage problem, though? The Skills Shortage Let’s look first …

Why Ireland Needs More Women in Engineering Read More »

Robert O’Hanlon is the Lead Control Systems Field Engineer at SL Controls. Find out what it’s like being a field engineer as well as what it’s like working for SL Controls.  

SL Controls is a member of the Atlantic MedTech Cluster, a group that promotes the MedTech industry in the Northwest of Ireland. This video was made by the Cluster to promote SL Controls and what we do.  

Digitalisation (digitalization) is a process that results in the digital transformation of a business. It involves moving passed digitisation (digitization) – way beyond digitisation, in fact. With digitALISAtion, you don’t simply move from using paper-based systems to digital systems. Instead, you transform your business, blending the physical world with the digital world so they effectively …

The Business Opportunities of Digitalisation and Digital Transformation in Manufacturing Read More »

Manufacturing technologies are advancing at a faster rate than ever before. In such a fast-paced and busy environment, it can be hard to cut through the information and noise to get to what really matters and what will really make a difference. In other words, the things that will improve your competitiveness in the marketplace …

7 Industry 4.0 Trends that Will Influence Manufacturing in 2019 Read More »

Cybersecurity, system security, and information security are challenges faced by all industries and sectors. For the manufacturing sector, these challenges are particularly acute, especially in relation to industrial automation control systems. The threats to industrial automation control systems are varied: Targeted external attack to deliberately hinder production Targeted external attack to impact the state or …

Security Challenges of Industrial Automation Control Systems Read More »

There are a lot of terms and abbreviations used when discussing process validation, with some more common than others. Understanding these terms and abbreviations is important given the crucial role process validation plays in relation to compliance, product quality, and production line productivity. QBD – Quality by Design In a QBD approach to manufacturing a …

QBD, CQA, CPP, PAT – Understanding Process Validation Terminology Read More »

Like all manufacturers, companies in regulated sectors must innovate and improve their manufacturing processes to remain competitive. Driving efficiencies and increasing productivity levels are ongoing objectives. In addition to this drive to remain competitive, manufacturers in regulated industries must deal with the added burden of compliance. Also, requirements in many heavily regulated industries are changing …

A New Approach to Delivering Bespoke Software Solutions to the Regulated Sector Read More »

Integrating equipment, machines, platforms, and sites to improve productivity is a key objective of most production lines. Automating processes to drive efficiencies is another crucial objective. How can you achieve these objectives with minimal risk and cost, however, while also ensuring full regulatory compliance? The traditional way of automating processes and integrating the elements that …

The Smart – and Cost-Effective – Way to Improve the Performance of Production Lines Read More »

At SL Controls, our validation services include 21 CFR Part 11 compliant software, batch execution systems, source code reviews, process validation, software validation, and equipment validation. Watch our video to find out more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wkDSrjyBQM

Batch changeovers are an essential part of many manufacturing facilities. They also represent a loss of productivity, however. After all, when you are changing batches, you are not producing products. This is amplified further in pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities where the batch changeover and batch control processes are subject to regulations. So, how do you reduce …

Automation of the Batch Changeover Process – Saving the Time Between Batches You Don’t Have Read More »

The manufacture of safe and high-quality pharmaceutical products requires good manufacturing processes. This is the goal of Process Validation, i.e. ensuring pharmaceutical products consistently meet quality standards and expectations. The way to achieve this is through the Three Stages of Process Validation. The Three Stages of Process Validation is a protocol published in 2011 by …

The 3 Stages of Process Validation Explained Read More »

Industrial automation control systems are becoming increasingly crucial to manufacturing in a range of sectors. They are often viewed as technical solutions, however, they come under the remit of the senior engineering team at the coalface. The fact is, though, industrial automation control systems impact the wider enterprise, which means they can significantly improve your …

Industrial Automation Control Systems and How They Improve Businesses Read More »

OEE, TEEP, and OOE are terms often used in the manufacturing industry. What do they mean, however, how do you calculate them, and why are they important? OEE, TEEP, and OOE are different methods of defining the availability of your production line. In other words, they measure the difference between how much good products you …

OEE, TEEP, and OOE – What is the Difference? Read More »

Remaining competitive and profitable requires constant improvements in productivity, customer service, quality, regulatory compliance, and flexibility. Industry 4.0 promises to deliver these improvements. Often, however, there is too much hype and/or misunderstanding surrounding Industry 4.0. It’s time for some clarity. The Industrial Revolutions Let’s start at the beginning: Industry 4.0 is another way of describing …

Demystifying Industry 4.0 Read More »

OEE is one of the most important performance measurements in modern manufacturing facilities. By optimising OEE, you can increase capacity, reduce costs, improve quality, and/or increase efficiencies in your production lines. Now, here is the really interesting part – it’s possible to achieve significant performance gains in your manufacturing facility by optimising OEE. Before getting …

OEE and Why It’s Important Read More »

Serialisation is about securing the supply chain, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. At a very basic level, it involves applying a serial number and other features to a product, so it can be checked and cross-referenced as it moves through the supply chain to the patient/end user. As you might expect, however, serialisation involves much …

Key Serialisation Terms You Need to Know Read More »

When thinking about the opportunities that Industry 4.0 presents, you get a sense of the excitement that great industrialists of the past must have felt with the introduction of steam power and electricity. These previous industrial revolutions changed the world for the better, and Industry 4.0 will do the same. What about its impact on …

How Industry 4.0 Will Benefit the Pharmaceutical Industry Read More »

The way your manufacturing facility processes data is becoming more and more important. This is true of manufacturers in all industries as consumer demands increase and competition becomes more advanced. Data processing is particularly important, however, in heavily regulated industries, such as the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. In these industries, the benefits of automating …

Benefits of Automating Regulatory Compliant Data Processes Read More »

Data is essential in modern manufacturing. Without data, you must make decisions based on guesswork and hunches. It is also harder to identify risks and opportunities without data. In addition, modern regulatory systems are data dependent. It is not enough to have data, however, as you must also have data integrity. After all, the value …

Data Integrity in the Manufacturing Process Read More »

The deadline for the implementation of solutions to meet the new Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) is fast approaching – the new regulations go live on 9 February 2019. You can find out more about the regulations, including how the new systems will work, on our blog Falsified Medicines Directive – Are You Ready? What about …

Falsified Medicines Directive – Potential Challenges You Should be Aware Of Read More »

If you run a manufacturing facility, you need to know the difference between digitisation and digitalisation (or digitization and digitalization if you are reading this in the US). The difference is crucial to understanding Industry 4.0, plus it will help you develop strategies to transition your facilities into smart factories. The difference between the two …

Digitisation and Digitalisation – You Need to Know the Difference Read More »

Successful projects don’t happen by accident. Instead, they need carefully developed and well-established structures. At SL Controls, we use the QUAD approach. The QUAD approach for the successful delivery of projects is built on four pillars – Quality, Utilise, Accomplish, and Design. We are going to focus on the Design pillar in this blog. The …

Design – the Prerequisite to a Successful Project Read More »