Combine PAT with automation to unleash the potential of smart factories
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When backed by Process Analytical Technology ( PAT ), Smart Factories can maximise responsiveness on the factory floor by leveraging data generated throughout the entire manufacturing process . This leads to substantial improvements in product quality , throughput and efficiency , providing companies with a massive competitive advantage .
Martin Gadsby , Director of the Optimal Group , looks at how PAT-driven automation can help businesses realise the benefits of smart manufacturing .
The digital transformation of business is enabling the creation of data-led manufacturing strategies combined with fully automated operations . To this end , factory floors are being converted into intelligent networks of interconnected sensors , machines , processes and systems . With the potential to adjust and optimise processes in real time , Smart Factories need effective data gathering and mining solutions .
A PAT framework is essential to transforming the collected data into actionable insights and realising responsive smart manufacturing applications . This quality-driven approach relies on the relationship between critical process parameters and critical quality attributes of raw and in-process materials to optimise manufacturing activities .
THE IMPORTANCE OF A PAT KNOWLEDGE MANAGER
While it is relatively easy to generate large volumes of production data , businesses need a PAT knowledge management platform , such as synTQ , to identify which data sets should be stored , assessed and rationalised into actionable knowledge . Used by over 60 % of global pharmaceutical majors , this framework can help to create flexible , futureproof plants that can quickly adjust process parameters to enhance operational efficiency and product quality .
An intelligent PAT management system also ensures that plant operators have instant access to actionable knowledge by automatically sorting and filtering manufacturing data . In addition to this , historical data can be profiled to develop process-related mechanistic knowledge that can achieve further production improvements .
Finally , an advanced PAT data management platform that supports data fusion , sharing and advanced analytics can enable the creation of highly automated Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT ) applications . These , in turn , offer improvements in throughput and deliver consistent quality .
SET UP A RELIABLE PARTNERSHIP
To create effective Smart Factories and reap the benefits of real-time process control and monitoring , manufacturers should partner with an experienced automation specialist . The Optimal Group – Optimal Industrial Automation together with Optimal Industrial Technologies – has been delivering automation and PATdriven automation systems to enhance the competitiveness of businesses for over 30 years . In particular , the company specialises in integrating the PAT knowledge management system , synTQ , within its advanced automated solutions .
By collaborating with an integrator that can deliver PAT-driven automation systems , manufacturers can minimise production costs , material and energy usage , increase throughput and improve product quality .
Image captions : PAT-driven automation can help businesses succeed in smart manufacturing strategies by delivering data-driven actionable insight into production processes .
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