Pharma industry: Leveraging PdM for Clean Utilities

The Importance of Clean Utilities in Pharma

Clean utilities refer to systems and equipment that provide purified and sterile utilities necessary for manufacturing pharmaceutical products. These utilities are the “heroes” of pharma production lines.

This equipment category is designed to meet the stringent regulatory requirements and quality standards governing pharmaceutical manufacturing, particularly regarding purity, sterility, and absence of contaminants.

However, its significance often goes unnoticed until an unexpected downtime or quality deviation occurs, impacting production schedules or regulatory compliance.

Maximizing Reliability with Predictive Maintenance

To avoid clean utilities downtime, predictive maintenance empowers pharmaceutical companies to optimize the condition and performance of these assets, thereby gaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding industry landscape.

PdM is a cornerstone of modern asset management strategies. It revolutionizes maintenance practices by gathering and processing data analytics through machine learning to predict equipment failures before they occur. This approach allows for proactive intervention and preventive maintenance activities.

By continuously monitoring clean utility equipment’s health and performance metrics, PdM enables early detection of potential issues such as abnormal vibrations. This proactive approach minimizes unplanned downtime and extends the lifespan of critical assets, optimizing asset utilization and reducing lifecycle costs.

Reliability measures to mitigate risks

The significance of clean utilities in pharmaceutical manufacturing cannot be overstated, as they directly impact product quality, consistency, and regulatory compliance. Their criticality underscores the need for reliability expertise to ensure product quality and compliance.

Through collaboration with a trusted industry partner, pharmaceutical manufacturers gain access to cutting-edge technologies, industry best practices, and customized maintenance solutions, enabling them to achieve higher operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Technical Case

Take the case of a biopharma company that equipped its pumps with wireless vibration sensors. The vibration analysis solution detected cavitation issues in three WFI pumps. Cavitation occurs when the liquid in a pump turns to a vapor at low pressure, which could cause a loss of efficiency and results in a decrease in flow rate or outlet pressure.

Following a comprehensive analysis, it was determined that the equipment was operating within a suboptimal range. The pumps and circuits were reconfigured to reach optimal speeds and compressions and prevent future cavitation problems.

Final Words

In summary, clean utilities are essential for maintaining the purity and sterility of pharmaceutical products. Unfortunately, their critical role is often revealed during unexpected downtimes or quality issues.

Predictive maintenance is a power tool for optimizing clean utilities’ performance and minimizing downtime. At the same time, collaboration with a trusted partner enables access to advanced technologies and tailored maintenance solutions, enhancing operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. As pharmaceutical companies face mounting industry challenges, using predictive maintenance solutions and prioritizing reliability measures for clean utilities will remain crucial for ensuring seamless operations and mitigating risks.

To learn more about how predictive maintenance supports the pharmaceutical industry, don’t hesitate to have a look at our article Optimizing Pharma Industry: The Role of Predictive Maintenance or get in touch with our team.