Symposium to focus on sustainable solutions

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 16, 2009

Rockwell Automation has announced that the theme for the 10th International Life Sciences Symposium will be 'Managing Volatility with Agile and Sustainable Manufacturing Solutions'.

The symposium is set to take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 17-19 June 2009 and is organised by Rockwell Automation.

The event is designed for decision makers and management of the life sciences industry involved in research and development, clinical supply, manufacturing, operation, automation, quality management, validation and regulatory compliance.

Symposium attendees will be able to take a two-hour site visit to the nearby manufacturing facilities of Dr Willmar Schwabe, which researches and develops plant-based medicines and healthcare products.

Visitors will see the manufacturing processes, starting from plant delivery through extraction to the pharmaceutical processes themselves.

They will also learn how Schwabe benefits from an implemented and fully integrated manufacturing execution system (MES) at the company's manufacturing site for liquids.

The MES solution features all aspects of electronic batch recording, with a close integration into the facility's automated equipment, making the process virtually paperless.

Running in parallel to the site visit will be a three-hour workshop examining 'Mass Serialisation for a Healthier Life-Science Supply Chain'.

With drug counterfeiting becoming a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies and governments and the impending ePedigree regulation, the workshop will look at the issues facing manufacturers.

In addition, Rockwell Automation, Cognex and Wolke will present their combined mass serialisation solution.

Throughout the event, other speakers from life sciences companies will also be drawing on their experiences.

For example, representatives from Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals will focus on 'Improving the Organisation in an Economic Crisis' and 'Laboratory Efficiency - A Key Element in Robust Supply Chain'.

Four specialist manufacturing machine builders will be attending the symposium, making up the third element of a successful life sciences manufacturing mix of automation technology, machine builders and pharmaceutical companies.

As well as demonstrating new technology and discussing life sciences issues with attendees, a representative from Imapack will be speaking on the challenges of implementing Six Sigma and learning from other industries.

Rockwell Automation will also demonstrate its software applications to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers integrate their production processes with the rest of the manufacturing enterprise.

Factorytalk Pharma Suite is the first in a series of industry-specific software applications based on the Factorytalk Integrated Production and Performance Suite.

Ahead of the symposium, Rockwell Automation will be holding its Customer Advisory Board meeting for life sciences customers.

These semi-annual meetings provide a forum for customers to outline their future requirements for Rockwell Automation's solutions and to provide input into the development process.