Introducing a New Era of Batch Tracking in Manufacturing
New feature streamlines production visibility and strengthens collaboration across manufacturing teams
eschbach, a prominent software developer focused on the process industry, has unveiled an innovative batch tracking solution aimed at enhancing the Shiftconnector® enterprise manufacturing platform. This cutting-edge feature is specifically crafted to boost collaboration between production, quality assurance (QA), and quality control (QC) teams, thereby revolutionizing the batch release workflow.
Streamlining Processes with Real-Time Dashboards
The newly integrated feature combines data from crucial systems, including MES, LIMS, ERP, and QMS, into a shared, real-time dashboard tailored to various user roles. Experts in digitalization highlight that utilizing this feature can significantly reduce manual data entry by up to 75%, transforming an operator's workload from two hours to just 30 minutes each day. This advancement leads to fewer mistakes and accelerates time to market.
Proactive Problem Management
In the event of complications during production, the system triggers automatic notifications to QC teams with specific details about issues, including the duration of delays and revised sample arrival times. This proactive approach enables teams to adapt their schedules effectively.
Contextualized Data Insights
The batch tracking system features a drill-down menu that provides users with contextual information regarding any arising issues. In addition, built-in collaboration boards facilitate real-time communication across different functions, allowing problems to be addressed promptly before they escalate further.
Supporting Compliance and Operational Excellence
This innovative system is fully GxP compliant and ready for GAMP 5 validation, ensuring robust support for audit trails and digital signatures. Furthermore, the platform delivers insights regarding historical batch performance via intuitive charts and heat maps, which enable teams to recognize bottlenecks and establish "golden batch" profiles to promote continuous improvement.
For manufacturers, the advantages of this batch tracking solution are clear: it enhances operational efficiency by shortening release cycle times, fostering cross-team alignment, and reducing unnecessary delays. Consequently, it paves the way for quicker product availability, ensures better compliance, and allows for greater responsiveness to evolving market demands.
Andreas Eschbach, the visionary founder and CEO of eschbach, noted, "One of the leading causes of batch release delays is a lack of visibility across teams. This disjointedness results in misalignments in priorities among manufacturing teams, adversely affecting planning for critical processes such as testing. By providing a unified view of batch status, all teams—regardless of their stage in the production cycle—can track a batch's progress accurately from start to finish. This shared understanding allows us to anticipate delays that could have ripple effects on our operations and effectively plan for them, closing the gap between production, QA, and QC. Ultimately, this reduces the daily release management tasks from hours to mere minutes, significantly boosting efficiency outcomes."
AI Integration for Enhanced Insights
The batch tracking solution seamlessly integrates with Shiftconnector®'s Artificial Manufacturing Intelligence (SAMI) suite, leveraging AI-powered insights for improved monitoring. Operators can engage with SAMI Chat, a conversational interface designed to answer questions like, "Which batches are currently in process, and what are their statuses?" The AI responds in natural language, providing a comprehensive list of batches along with their respective statuses and timing details.
Furthermore, users can delve into more intricate inquiries, such as diagnosing causes for delays, and can request data compilation into a report or table format. eschbach is also working on developing dashboard widgets that will offer rapid, AI-driven insights related to delays.
"Achieving complete visibility of batch statuses across teams is paramount to enhancing alignment among individual manufacturing departments," Eschbach stated. "While this is merely one aspect of a broader vision, ensuring that all teams are coordinated is vital to shortening release times and, consequently, reducing the time it takes for essential medicines to reach patients."
About eschbach
Headquartered globally in Bad Säckingen, Germany, with a North American office in Boston, MA, eschbach stands as a premier developer of enterprise software dedicated to plant process management. The AI-driven technology behind Shiftconnector empowers manufacturing teams to take control over plant operations, enhance process safety, optimize asset performance, and elevate product quality. Trusted by leading manufacturers worldwide, including companies like BASF, Roche, and Bayer, eschbach is committed to facilitating digital transformation in the process industries—enabling managers, operators, and technicians to achieve superior team communication.
Media Contact - North America
Dawn Fontaine
Ripple Effect Communications
T: 617-536-8887
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eschbach's new batch tracking solution designed for?
The new batch tracking solution is designed to enhance collaboration and streamline the batch release process among manufacturing teams.
How does the batch tracking feature improve efficiency?
It reduces manual data entry by up to 75%, allowing operators more time for critical tasks and lowering the potential for errors.
What kind of notifications does the system provide for production issues?
The system notifies QC teams with details about delays and updated sample times to enable proactive adjustments.
Is the batch tracking solution compliant with regulatory standards?
Yes, it is fully GxP compliant and GAMP 5 validation-ready, ensuring compliance and support for audit trails.
What insights can users gain from the batch tracking platform?
Users can access historical batch performance through visual tools, helping identify bottlenecks and define 'golden batch' profiles for improvement.
