The Challenge
A world-renowned pharmaceutical company sought to revolutionize its manufacturing processes by identifying product issues at the earliest possible stage.
Key challenges included:
- The excessive costs associated with fixing problems after distribution, which were significantly higher than fixing them during manufacturing.
- The need to optimize waste and improve cost efficiency.
- Managing over 30 manufacturing sites, each with 15,000 devices generating significant data throughput.
- The need for continuous system operation and control.
- Implement a machine learning (ML) model to consistently recommend optimal parameters.
Problems to solve
- Identify product problems early to avoid costly fixes after distribution.
- Improve waste reduction strategies to reduce estimated costs.
- Streamline the management of extensive device networks across multiple locations.
- Ensure continuous system control and monitoring.
- Leverage ML for continuous parameter optimization.
The solution
C&F deployed a comprehensive IIOT data integration system, initially tailored for the US market and then replicated in the UK, Germany, Russia, Japan and Australia. The solution included:
- Azure IoT Edge with IoT Hub: This facilitated the collection and cloud transmission of data for immediate action, with pre-processing capabilities at the edge.
**On-site action triggering.
**: Advanced logic enabled the system to initiate responses based on real-time data without human intervention.
- Database Replication: A robust system that replicated data from local databases to the cloud, ensuring data consistency and availability.
Results
Strategic implementation led to breakthrough improvements:
Real-time analytics: The system enabled near real-time processing and analysis of data, enabling immediate insights and automated actions.
Increased resilience: With offline support features such as a local event broker and stateful store, the system ensured consistent operations even during network disruptions.
Enhanced security: The unidirectional edge-to-cloud connection adhered to strict security protocols, essential in the sensitive pharmaceutical sector.
Operational Simplification: Centralized cloud management enabled streamlined operations, minimizing manual intervention.
Cost-effective model: Usage-based pricing and low onboarding costs provided an economically viable solution.
The implementation not only achieved the immediate goal of early problem detection, but also strengthened the company's manufacturing efficiency and data management capabilities, setting a new benchmark for industrial applications of IoT.