Feature Study Cycle Planning: for testing & Manufacturing Industry
In the Life Science industry of testing and manufacturing, precise workflows and compliance with testing regulations in various countries are crucial for quality and regulatory adherence. This is particularly challenging when testing components requires multiple workflows with repeated cycles, sometimes exceeding 100 times. The complexity of variations and regulatory requirements makes planning difficult and increases maintenance efforts. Additionally, obtaining insights into the current status of testing orders and assessing workload utilization is highly labor-intensive. By leveraging digital cycle planning, manufacturers can optimize their workflows, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance while reducing overhead costs.
Process Challenges
Managing Repetitive Testing Cycles
Medical device testing often requires components to undergo repeated test cycles, sometimes ranging from 50 to 500 work steps. Managing these cycles manually within standard work plans increases complexity and workload.
Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
Only test orders that adhere to the same regulatory requirements can be processed together. For example, EU orders must not be mixed with those designated for the US market, adding another layer of complexity.
Limited Resource Utilization
Sterilizers and other critical testing equipment have limited capacity. Common scheduling method cannot ensure that multiple test orders can always be processed simultaneously without disruption.
High Maintenance Efforts
Frequent work plan updates require significant maintenance, particularly when regulatory requirements or product specifications change.
Fixed and Monolithic Planning
Test sequences need to be adjusted dynamically based on order priorities, compliance requirements, and resource availability. Common planning method are either paper-based or time-consuming to adjust, causing delays and bottlenecks.
The Feature: Digital Cycle Planning
By leveraging digital cycle planning, manufacturers can make their planning more flexible and efficient. Here’s how:
Optimized Workflows & Resource Management
Test cycles are directly integrated into work plans, reducing manual effort and increasing planning flexibility. Resources, such as sterilizers, are automatically considered to ensure efficient scheduling.
Digital Documentation & Transparency
All test cycles and documentation are digitized, cutting down on manual work and paper use. This makes cycle execution and tracking more transparent, ensuring full traceability.
Dynamic Scheduling & Visualization
A Gantt chart provides a clear overview of the planning process, making scheduling more transparent and adaptable. Orders can be rescheduled or postponed even after execution has started, allowing for greater flexibility.
Integrated Batch Processing Principle for Higher Equipment Utilization
A key principle in efficient test cycle planning is the “Batch Processing Principle”, ensuring maximum utilization of sterilizers and testing equipment:
- Multiple test orders are grouped together before execution to ensure full machine utilization.
- Once a test cycle starts, it runs without interruption, like a dishwasher completing a full load.
- This reduces idle time, optimizes resource usage, and improves overall efficiency.
Modern production planning and control solutions, such as planeus, have already built-in these principles and features to ensure smooth and efficient execution.
Maximizing Efficiency with planeus
By using intelligent scheduling tools like planeus, companies can simplify complex workflow planning, test cycles, and resource management in Life Science testing and manufacturing processes.
- planeus not only supports digital documentation and cycle planning but alsointegrates block and occupancy scheduling, ensuring multiple test orders can be efficiently managed.
- By integrating batch processing principles, planeus ensures that multiple test orders run smoothly and without interruption in a sterilizer, maximizing equipment utilization.
- Close collaborations with customers and frequent cloud updates ensure that planeus remains flexible and adaptable to specific regulatory requirements and industry challenges.
- Adopting characteristic-based planning enables businesses to optimize their production or testing processes with greater intelligence and precision.
With its transparent and future-ready approach, the software provides a reliable solution for both laboratory and production environments, helping manufacturers streamline operations and maintain compliance in an increasingly complex industry landscape.
