Teva
Room to breathe
Teva is an international manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals. It acquired Ivax, which produces respiratory medicines such as asthma inhalers in Ireland. For over 20 years, INDEFF has been optimizing its production processes, from formulation down to filling the inhalers, all the while ensuring the strict standards of compliance required in pharmaceutics.
Second production line
INDEFF became involved with Teva when they wanted to add a second manufacturing line. The original line worked with Wonderware InTouch, InBatch and a Siemens Simatic S7-400 PLC. INDEFF built a standard bases code and graphics library for the new line and any additional development required in the future. Where the original PLC had all control modules coded using indirect addressing, INDEFF developed independent control module objects that allow for manual control at the control modules level. This enables easier operator intervention to process requirements and a faster maintenance response to control module errors.
Conversion to Wonderware System Platform
INDEFF’s latest project was to convert the standalone systems to a system platform. This required a complete rebuild, after which the new platform and its virtual machines underwent factory acceptance tests at INDEFF’s offices. To avoid delays in productions, the Wonderware System Platform was implemented during the factory’s annual shutdown. An additional benefit is that recipes can now be validated and compared to previous recipes in-house, freeing up precious time and resources.
More than 20 years of collaboration with INDEFF got Teva’s production processes to flow ever more smoothly and accurately. While the plant looks the same, it now works in a totally different way.
Template for future optimization
This new production line would serve as a template for future lines. The next step was to improve the original line. The existing InTouch and InBatch versions were updated. In addition, INDEFF created a workaround to ensure alignment between the Siemens drivers and InBatch. Today, INDEFF continues to maintain the system and to develop new solutions, including those required for FDA and GMP validation and compliance.
Goals
- Install new production lines
- Improve the existing manufacturing line
- Maintain and update all systems
Challenges
- Guarantee FDA and GMP compliance
- Continue to be a support partner during the acquisition of Ivax
- Ensure an optimal production flow after system updates cause changes
Results
- Teva’s Waterford plant benefits from flawless production flows
- Recipes can be validated in-house, saving precious time
- Improved audit trail that automatically reports to prove compliance