Detecting efficiency: Medical device maker says Apriso system performs better than expected
By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 12/2/2007 6:44:00 PM
Trixell, a leading manufacturer of digital detectors for medical radiology, expected productivity improvements when it expanded and added new equipment to its plant in Moirans, France. But company officials say the efficiency improvements are higher than anticipated, in part due to the implementation of a new production management system from Apriso.
“Our expectations have been exceeded with the deployment of Apriso FlexNet, continuing our commitment to improve customer responsiveness while providing easier access to production data,” says Jean Philippe Pierre, IT project manager at Trixell. “Now, everything is stored in a centralized database, providing efficiency while simplifying production processes through the easy-to-use FlexNet system.”
Trixell’s products allow physicians and radiologists to quickly scan and save radiology images, rather than printing and storing on large films. While the plant expansion and equipment upgrades are largely responsible for increasing Trixell’s production capacity, the Apriso system has boosted efficiency in noticeable ways, including:
• Eliminating the need to print nearly 100 pieces of paper in the process of producing each Trixell product; and
• Improving the ability to trace all activities in the production process, which aids both regulatory compliance and returns management.
When it comes to returns management, the Apriso system allows for creating an “as returned history” for any product a customer sends back. That information can then be made available to production and design systems to further improve production performance, product quality, and overall operations efficiency.
“Both pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers such as Trixell benefit from the ease of use in how Apriso FlexNet delivers real-time operations intelligence to enable highly adaptive production environments,” says Rick Gallisa, industry director for life sciences at Apriso. “The FlexNet system directs operators to which specific actions should be completed, in the order necessary to optimize production processes. At the same time, sufficient data is collected to enable complete traceability.”
