Articles and News

ISA opened attendee and exhibitor registration for its 2015 Food & Pharmaceutical Division (FPID) Symposium, which will be held 9-11 February 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Octapharma, a manufacturer of human protein products, is using the PAS-X Track & Trace Serialization Aggregation solution in Vienna.

By Bill Nolan, Rootstock Software Many regulated manufacturers use paper-or Excel-based processes to address compliance. For discrete manufacturers who are required to have FDA CFR compliance, the Salesforce1 Platform connected an ERP system offers some distinct advantages.

Research that shows the recently revealed Dragonfly (Havex) malware is likely targeting the pharmaceutical sector, not the energy sector as previously believed.

CQS Innovation is a Michigan-based systems integrator specializing in control and information systems for life sciences, chemical and metals industries.

By Robert Harrison, COPA-DATA It takes an average of twelve years and over £200m to get a new drug from the laboratory onto the shelf. As a result, the pharmaceutical industry is well known for its prudence, especially regarding the uptake of new technologies. Here’s how appropriate technologies can help, rather than hinder, essential regulatory compliance including ISO 50001 and FDA 21 CFR Part 11.

PAS-X was delivered with the entire user interface in Japanese. Werum carried out this project in cooperation with their Japanese integration partner CST Chiyoda System Technologies.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Fluke recently introduced Fluke Connect, a system which allows maintenance technicians to wirelessly transmit measurement data from their test tools to their smart phones. There is a lot of hype about the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. To date, from what I have seen on the market, Fluke Connect is the most useful, productivity-increasing industry solution based on these technologies.

By Bill Lydon, Editor A pharmaceutical company describes how they invested in multivariate tools and were able to gain better process understanding and improve batch outcomes. In effect, they were able to transform data to actionable information.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Manufacturing Intelligence (MI) systems allow the aggregation and subsequent visualization and analysis of data to drive business decisions. Pharmaceutical companies share their companies' perspectives on MI solutions and their implementation plans.

Training courses and workshops teach control systems designers, engineers and operators various aspects of process safety and how to meet worldwide safety requirements.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The automation benchmarking survey of leading pharmaceutical companies reveals how these manufacturers are dealing with some of the latest industry trends. Topics of the survey include big data utilization, return on investment, major innovations, organizational structures, in-house vs.contract staff, automation management and challenges. How does your company compare?

On May 29, 2014, experts will discuss the challenges, problems and common mistakes involved in a process control system migration, and show how using front-end loading (FEL) practices help smooth the migration process.

The theme of Inspire 2014, May 6-8, 2014 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is how the interaction among Culture, Safety and Technology can be used to improve safety in process plants.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Emerson invested nearly $70 million in a new 282,000-square-foot Innovation Center in Round Rock, Texas. The center serves as the global headquarters for Emerson’s automation systems and project services business, which helps customers safely, reliably and profitably operate facilities in various industries.

REACH is a European Community safety and environmental regulation that deals with the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemical substances.

By Bill Lydon, Editor Pharmaceutical automation leaders from around the world gathered to discuss a number of automation challenges, including how their companies are dealing with reduced personnel and the need to support multiple technologies at multiple sites. This article highlights those conversations and addresses the automation support models and the use of managed services.

More than 70 automation and control professionals gathered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA at the inaugural ISA Food and Pharmaceuticals Industries Division (FPID) Symposium.

Classes typically are a combination of classroom and hands-on training covering various aspects of process safety, including P&ID drawings, hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies, Safety Integrity Level (SIL), Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), and similar topics.