The Biggest Trends in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
The pharmaceutical industry has undergone several changes which are often introduced and enforced by regulatory bodies. These changes, which we can also call a revolution, make up Pharma 4.0. Earlier in the day, pharmaceutical operations were manual and required solely the use of paper.
However, as technology improved, pharmaceutical manufacturing gradually switched to paperless pharmaceutical production and record keeping. In this article, we shall discuss several pharmaceutical manufacturing trends in the industry. We shall also outline the importance of pharmaceutical manufacturing trends.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Trends
The advent and growth of technology have changed a lot of things and contributed to the trends in the pharmaceutical sector. It has simplified processes, reduced errors, and improved work accuracy. Therefore, in this section, we shall highlight three major trends in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
1. IoT (Internet of Things)
Numerous people across the globe connect to, access the internet, and communicate through their physical devices. This is what we call the internet of things.
IoT allows paperless processes in the pharmaceutical industry and brings about innovation. With the use of interconnected devices to communicate on the manufacturing floor, errors can be minimized.
For instance, sensors connected via IoT will alert operators to any potential issues by setting off an alarm during pharmaceutical operations. It also will inform operators of what and where the specific problem is. This rapid intervention helps limit the potential for damage and get production back on track as soon as safely and practically possible. In addition, IoT helps operators respond to unexpected errors on time.
2. Cloud
It is becoming more and more common to rely on the cloud, than physical on premise servers. With the cloud, companies can run applications, store and share data, and scale their operations, without high costs and long installations.
Cloud computing also ensures data integrity. For example, system administration can be streamlined across the globe. Organizations can build, configure, and monitor applications compliant with GxP (Good Practices), in less time, with higher governance and adherence to data integrity.
3. Data and Analytics
With advancements in IoT and data acquisition, new modes of data analytics are available. Data science teams can be augmented with tools to review the manufacturing data and enhance manufacturing productivity. KPI, reports, dashboards, and real-time reviews can be achieved to ensure right first time manufacturing and significant savings.
Access to this data is essential for all-kinds of operations, large and small. The data may be reviewed in real-time to correct process deviations before losses begin. Alternatively, access to data post-mortem, can help teams review manufacturing failures and losses, faster, and with greater detail than before.
The Importance of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Trends
Pharmaceutical manufacturing trends will continue to benefit pharma in several ways. We shall look at some of them briefly.
1. Increased Return on Investment
2. Decreased Time to Value
3. Increased Product Quality
4. Increased Process Safety
5. Sustainable Operations
These trends are a welcome addition to a manufacturing process that is heavily reliant on precision and compliance.
To this end, Data & analytics, cloud services, and IoT do more than contribute to GMP manufacturing. They also contribute to the drive for continuous improvement, enabling organizations to gain an edge in an ultra-competitive environment constantly.
OpsTrakker was built with these trends in mind. OpsTrakker can kickstart your digital transformation to deliver IoT, data and Analytics, and cloud, without long timelines and high costs. We can help you improve your pharmaceutical production by offering you paperless processes for logbooks, forms, and paper found in traditional manufacturing. Get in touch today to learn how OpsTrakker can kickstart your digital transformation!
To learn more about OpsTrakker’s forward thinking approach to industry 4.0, check out our article: Building the Pharma 4.0 Foundation. In this article in our Knowledge Base, we explore OpsTrakker’s unique and innovative approach to embracing the latest trends in industry and pharma 4.0 to provide high ROI and decreased time to value with our eLogBook and eForms solutions!