US – Harpak-ULMA, the industry leader in smart, connected packaging solutions, has been selected by a major medical device producer to provide automated flow wrap packaging lines for pipette tip production.
The move will ensure reliable, US-based production of a vital tool utilized to dispense precise amounts of liquid in disease research and diagnostic labs.
The firm’s solutions will meet or exceed the high levels of scalability, medical device packaging quality, and overall throughput demanded at extreme production levels.
A key selection criterion was Harpak-ULMA’s ability to deliver an end-to-end, integrated solution, from upstream product handling and product tracking through primary and secondary packaging to integrated pack-out stations.
This total line solution will enable a centralized control system to optimize equipment communications by tracking Line OEE in addition to individual equipment OEE.
The key to sustaining high-volume, mission-critical packaging output is a focused approach to OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) optimization, including minimizing all variations of line downtime.
In addition, the digital transformation of packaging operations can dramatically improve line uptime.
“Our smart, connected packaging platforms enable innovative technologies to achieve these outcomes — all while maximizing line output, scalability, and flexibility,” stated Nick Kirichkow, Harpak-ULMA Medical Industry Product Manager.
The multi-year, multi-phase strategic plan of Harpak-ULMA covers real-time digital twins, augmented reality (AR) training experiences, remote OEE monitoring, analytics deployment, and machine self-diagnosis.
The mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) can be decreased by giving front-line workers access to tools like AR experiences that can accurately direct staff through difficult fixes that may have previously required OEM field support.
The approach enables real-time performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and predictive maintenance solutions.
Proactively identifying OEE variations and associated root causes uplifts overall line performance and throughput.
An additional strategic justification for this government measure is provided by Harpak-digital ULMA’s transformation strategy, which focuses on creating and implementing information-centric, next-generation packaging solutions.
In addition, Harpak-ULMA’s end-to-end proven automation experience and capabilities offer a single point of accountability that helps to ensure on-time, on-budget solution commissioning.
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