AM Technical Solutions (AM) recognizes the value of a robust Alarm Management program in Life Science projects. Having a robust system in place can improve process and operational quality, while providing clear opportunities for process/operational improvements.
Unfortunately, Alarm Management is often an afterthought on many projects, relegated to an automation function. We see Alarm Management differently as a key aspect of delivering high-tech construction projects with a whole project delivery point of view.
We believe Alarm Management can be brought into the design philosophy early in the process and be driven as a process and safety function. When building the overall project delivery schedule, the correct players can be incorporated into the discussion, and a robust Alarm Rationalization process can be conducted as an essential part of the overall project.
Learn how we are elevating Alarm Management for Life Science projects to help our clients proactively identify potential quality issues before they become quality events as part of the larger Quality Control process.
The Value of Alarm Management in Life Science Operations
Alarm Management plays a crucial role in supporting compliance. The Life Sciences industry is highly regulated by the FDA and similar agencies that focus on maintaining processes in a state of control. A clear indicator of process and operational control is easily correlated to an Alarm Management program that demonstrates control.
Our company focuses on the key deliverables for an in-control Alarm Management System, including:
- Robust alarm rationalization that eliminates nuisance alarms.
- Appropriate alarm activations and conditionalization.
- Alarm differentiators, process information, quality alerts, and general messages.
- An alarm system that drives appropriate action to avoid adverse consequences.
We prioritize alarm rationalization to ensure that users in the Life Science environment can achieve situational awareness, which is one of the many inputs to have clear visibility into the state of overall operational control. Furthermore, every alarm activation points the way to process improvement and cost reduction.
How We’re Advancing Alarm Management in the Industry
Our company is advancing Alarm Management in the Life Sciences industry by implementing a key element of Statistical Process Control (SPC). To date, SPC has not been widely recognized or used within the Life Sciences industry, which we recognize as a gap that leads to product loss, waste, and inefficiency.
Our team has brought SPC to the forefront due to the value it brings to our clients by ensuring quality and consistency upfront. We offer this service to all of our clients within the global Life Sciences network. We can effectively advance and improve Alarm Management platforms across the industry, saving clients on costs and preventing delayed product releases.
A key part of our toolbox is not just the ability to deliver strong Alarm Management to our customers but also understanding how Alarm Management uniquely applies to Life Sciences. This is achieved in the following ways:
- Data-driven alarm activation setting, including the application of SPC as a tool.
- Application of traditional Alarm Management, such as developing an Alarm Management Philosophy for each site.
- Deliberate cross-functional alarm rationalization process.
We also strive for a deep understanding of how the unique aspects of each Life Science project connect with regulatory agency requirements, such as Safety, Identity, Strength, Purity, and Quality expectations of the product – both during product processing and in final product testing.
Ready to Advance Your Life Science Capabilities
Ultimately, our approach to advancing Alarm Management delivers value to our Life Science customers in four ways.
1. We answer the same Alarm Management challenges as every other manufacturing operation. Specifically, all alarms represent important abnormal events that are timely and require a human response.
2. We provide the added ability to reduce quality deviations, which are especially important in Life Sciences through early amelioration of potential quality problems.
3. We have the ability to adapt the Alarm Management Philosophy based on the operation type – whether Continuous, Batch, or Discrete operations. While batch and discrete are not unique to Life Sciences, the ability to understand and apply Alarm Management to these types of operations is beneficial for customers who may need to adapt their approaches.
4. Customers save costs and reduce regulatory headaches through a strong Alarm Management program.
“Our goal is to improve the entire life cycle of the operation in Life Sciences. Specific to Alarm Management, we focus on how to drive continuous process improvement by addressing the root cause of what causes alarm activation in the first place,” says Brian Williams, SVP, AM Life Sciences.
“By incorporating Alarm Management earlier in the process, we can support the typical drivers of Safety, Business Critical Equipment Availability, and Environmental to deliver a complete solution for our customers. The result is lower costs, improved compliance, and greater output to address patient needs.”
– Find out more about our capabilities to support Life Science projects.
– View our portfolio of award-winning cleanroom construction projects.
– Learn more about utilizing our Alarm Management solution to improve operations. Contact us today to learn how we can support your next project.