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An OEM’s Role in Pharma Tech Trends

Bryan Griffen, PMMI’s new Director of Industry Services, aligns the needs of pharma manufacturers with healthcare packaging OEMs.

Bryan Griffen
Bryan Griffen

Machine safety is always top of mind for any processing or packaging OEM. But with regulations such as the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and the need to keep consumers safe with sanitation, serialization and temperature-controlled logistics, there is just as much emphasis—if not more—on how machine builders will comply with pharma’s latest safety mandates.

With that in mind, the OpX Leadership Network, founded by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, will soon release Clean-In-Place (CIP) guidelines for pharma manufacturers, CPGs and OEMs. CIP is widely used in the production of food, beverages, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and biotech. The CIP guidelines outline generic definitions, equipment considerations, best practices and protocols for CIP that can be leveraged across multiple process lines to improve operations, product quality and consumer safety.

For many in the packaging and processing industry, guidelines from the OpX Leadership Network are a critical way to bridge the gap between machine builders and their end users. The network brings together manufacturing, engineering and operations professionals to help solve some inherent problems—like designing sanitary equipment, understanding total cost of ownership (TCO), developing the next-generation workforce and defining overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

The OpX OEE Benefits Calculator, for example, has resolved many inaccuracies in machine performance.

“Everyone knew what OEE was, but they calculated it differently,” said Bryan Griffen, Director of Industry Services at PMMI, who helped develop the tool when he was working at Nestlé and participating with the OpX group from the CPG side. “OpX brought CPGs and OEMs together to define and calculate OEE, putting it out there as an industry best practice.”

Similarly, PMMI’s Industry Services helps write safety packaging standards, like the ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016, which are available to OEMs and CPGs alike.

But here’s the rub: “Best practices and standards are only good if they are used,” Griffen said.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast
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LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast