How onshoring is advancing automation in pharmaceutical manufacturing

A recent article in Forbes Magazine highlighted the major investments pharmaceutical companies are expected to make in the U.S. by 2030. Multiple companies are already moving forward with expansions and new construction to onshore manufacturing capacity and meet demand for new pharmaceuticals. As they do, they are employing an approach to material handling automation that amplifies the value of the pallet storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) the industry has long relied on. Here are three examples of how—and why—they are expanding the role of material handling automation in the plant.

1. Reducing product touches

   Pallet storage and retrieval systems remain the heart of material handling automation in pharma manufacturing, offering the capability to manage inbound materials and outbound finished product through a single, space-saving solution that can be zoned to support ambient, chilled and frozen storage. At Swisslog, we use customer data to tailor ASRS solutions to each site’s density and throughput requirements. Our portfolio of industry-leading stacker cranes offers single-deep, double-deep and multi-deep configurations with the ability to deploy different configurations in different aisles and temperature zones. 
   
   For example, single-deep aisles can be configured to support fast retrieval of inbound materials required for just-in-time manufacturing while multi-deep configurations are employed to maximize the density of finished product distribution. In larger facilities, pallet shuttles are increasingly being deployed to maximize both density and throughput. All solutions benefit from our highly customizable SynQ software platform, which provides superior inventory management with real-time visibility, enhanced traceability, and automated data capture. SynQ can function as a WMS or integrate flawlessly with leading WMS platforms.
   
   These core solutions are now being extended to encompass the processes required to ensure material and production integrity—including pallet exchange, acclimation, de-dusting and washing—with pallet movement executed either by automated conveyors or AMRs. With the ability to fully automate these processes, manufacturers can significantly reduce product touches, minimize risks of breakage and accidents, and enhance quality control. 

2. Enhancing quality management and compliance

   Another way pharma companies are expanding their use of automation is the move to automate sample storage, document management and other ancillary processes. Compact, cube-based automation solutions like AutoStore have proven ideal for this task. 
   
   Already a go-to solution in pharmaceutical and healthcare distribution, AutoStore is now gaining traction in pharma manufacturing thanks to its high-density design, exceptional uptime with minimal maintenance, and operational flexibility. Its architecture eliminates the need for aisles or conveyor systems and is highly scalable, enabling configuration as a small, dedicated solution for specialized use cases such as sample or document storage.
   
   With the modular SynQ software platform manufacturers implementing multiple automation systems avoid having to implement multiple software systems. SynQ unifies automation management within a single platform, allowing teams to coordinate, monitor, and control inbound, outbound and ancillary processes from a central dashboard while improving visibility, simplifying issue resolution, and streamlining reporting and compliance.

3. Doing more with data

   A more comprehensive approach to automation also enables manufacturers to do more with data. Swisslog Cockpit Manager, a business intelligence and visualization tool within the SynQ platform, supports monitoring, analysis, and optimization of material handling operations with capabilities that include real-time process visualization, KPI tracking, and event monitoring. 
   
   The tool’s 3D visualization capabilities are especially powerful, providing users with a real-time, interactive digital shadow of their operations that enables managers and operators to monitor material flows, storage utilization, and system performance. In addition, Cockpit provides a customizable dashboard that allows users to tailor real-time operational views and performance metrics to their needs for more effective and agile decision-making.
   
   With Cockpit, users can manage to predefined and custom KPIs, compare performance over different periods for ongoing optimization, use elastic search to quickly access operational data, and create and export customized views and reports.

Automating with confidence

Integrated automation solutions deliver significant benefits to pharma companies onshoring manufacturing capacity. But those benefits can only be realized by working with an automation partner that understands the unique demands and regulatory requirements of the industry. 

At Swisslog, our industry experience enables us to efficiently tailor design, installation and commissioning processes to industry requirements. Our solutions comply with Good Manufacturing and Good Distribution Practices, and our installation processes conform to compliance milestones. We also have experience working within strict policies for IT access and helping our customers prepare for FDA validation. With our deep industry experience, broad portfolio of solutions and modular software platform, Swisslog is ready to help you get the most out of material handling automation as you expand U.S. production capacity. To learn more, contact us.