MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Smart Manufacturing | March 15, 2022
Smart Manufacturing Experience 2022, a hybrid in-person/livestreamed event, will help small to medium manufacturers (SMMs) leverage the power of advanced manufacturing technologies to improve their bottom line and advance their manufacturing operations in real-time.
the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, is sponsored by SME, CESMII, AMT and AMI, which have partnered for Smart Manufacturing Experience to meet the technology needs of SMMs. The sponsors work in collaboration with industry, academia and government agencies to bring solutions that drive the advancement of smart manufacturing operations.
New priorities are emerging along with the need for smart technologies to drive changes in the manufacturing ecosystem. Among the key factors for SMMs' survival in the coming decade will be successfully integrating smart and digital technologies as part of their businesses' digital transformation, adjusting for the impact of a changing supply chain, and successfully addressing the manufacturing labor shortage through both attracting new talent and training existing workers on new technologies.
"Growth in manufacturing is not only about adoption of technology that is smarter and faster, but it's also about making change when the global landscape shifts, At Smart Manufacturing Experience, you will see first-hand how companies already are making smart changes, training their workforce, and getting great ROI. This event will expose you to eight key smart manufacturing disciplines that will show you the journey from a smart factory to a smart supply chain, and most of all, to a smart workforce, and you'll get to talk with these innovators about their experiences."
Robert Willig, executive director and CEO of SME
Willig said these eight disciplines or disruptive technologies will be prevalent at Smart Manufacturing Experience and can help manufacturers run a smarter factory by lowering downtime, managing change, and providing powerful insights into their operations, which can help ensure the future of their business.
"You thought you had time to adopt new technology – the world just told you, you don't," said Willig. "Smart manufacturing is driving change and setting the stage for the manufacturing industry to adapt faster than ever before to keep production and our economy going."
In addition to the exhibition, each day of Smart Manufacturing Experience will feature leading smart-technology solutions and will offer multiple learning paths or tracks to attendees. These will include keynote addresses chosen from among smart manufacturing's leading companies, workshops that provide detailed focus on technical and business topics, thought-leadership panels with key industry experts debating relevant issues, and 60 conference sessions about technology, issues and solutions that make sense for small- to medium-sized businesses.
About AMT
AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology represents and promotes U.S.- based manufacturing technology – those who design, build, sell and service the continuously evolving technology that lies at the heart of manufacturing.
About AMI
Advanced Manufacturing International, Inc. is a non-profit organization focused on accelerating the digital transformation of small to medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) with simple, secure, and ultra-low-cost solutions. AMI is led by industry veterans with decades of experience in delivering production level, smart, digital solutions, and cultural transformations to manufacturing—all without breaking the bank. AMI is a subsidiary of the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group, Inc. (MTDG) and is based in Clearwater, Fla.
About CESMII
CESMII is the United States' national institute on Smart Manufacturing, driving cultural and technological transformation and secure industrial technologies as national imperatives. By enabling frictionless movement of information between real-time Operations and the people and systems that create value in and across Manufacturing organizations, CESMII is impacting manufacturing performance through measurable improvements in areas such as: quality, throughput, costs/profitability, safety, asset reliability and energy productivity.
About SME
SME connects manufacturing professionals, academia and communities, sharing knowledge and resources to build inspired, educated and prosperous manufacturers and enterprises. With 90 years of experience and expertise in events, media, membership, training and development, and also through the SME Education Foundation, SME is committed to promoting manufacturing technology, developing a skilled workforce and attracting future generations to advance manufacturing.
Read More
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Xerox | March 10, 2022
PARC, a Xerox company, announced today the launch of Novity™, a new venture to commercialize predictive maintenance (PdM) technology that reduces unplanned downtime in industrial manufacturing operations.
Unplanned downtime is a key pain point for manufacturers, with recent studies indicating that it costs industrial manufacturers an estimated $50 billion each year.
The Novity solution is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology that uses equipment sensors and proprietary algorithms to enable industrial manufacturers to see the future health of their production assets. The Novity TruPrognostics™ engine relies on a combination of machine learning and physics-based models of equipment. This allows Novity to predict equipment failures with 90 percent or better accuracy and lead times of months, not weeks or days.
“Over the course of many conversations with customers in the industrial manufacturing industry, we identified critical problems where current solutions fall short: they require too much data, they aren’t accurate enough, and they don’t give users enough advance notice to act before it’s too late,” said Novity General Manager Markus Larsson. “Our goal with this solution is to solve these problems, ultimately enabling zero unplanned downtime.”
Pennsy Supply, the leading manufacturer of aggregate, sand, asphalt, and concrete throughout the North and Central Regions of Pennsylvania, has installed a pilot deployment of the Novity technology and is already seeing benefits.
“Novity’s solution has proven itself effective very quickly. Novity has delivered an excellent PdM solution for Pennsy, Within the first month, the system picked up a potential issue with a mill, allowing us to take preventative action, avoiding costly unplanned downtime.”
Larry Kessler, Director of Operation Support, Pennsy Supply
In addition to increasing the accuracy and prediction horizons of the solution, Novity’s TruPrognostics™ engine also reduces the need for large amounts of data to deliver results. By leveraging a library of pre-built physics-based models, predictive maintenance is accessible to customers who lack the historical data required by other solutions.
“As more manufacturers embrace new technologies that help their plants and factories run more efficiently, one of the things we’ve heard over and over from customers is they need a solution they can rely on to make actionable decisions,” said PARC President Naresh Shanker. “With Novity, we’re leveraging PARC’s expertise in AI, sensors and manufacturing to provide an exceptionally accurate predictive maintenance solution. This means less downtime, more productivity and profitability for our customers.”
Novity is the latest offering in PARC’s broad entry into the industrial IoT market. In 2021, Xerox announced the launch of Eloque, a joint venture with the Victorian Government (AU) to commercialize new technology that will remotely monitor the structural health of bridges and other critical infrastructure. Last year Xerox also announced that PARC is working with the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a technology that can enable large-scale monitoring of seas under the Ocean of Things program.
About Xerox
For more than 100 years, Xerox has continually redefined the workplace experience. Harnessing our leadership position in office and production print technology, we’ve expanded into software and services to sustainably power today’s workforce. From the office to industrial environments, our differentiated business solutions and financial services are designed to make every day work better for clients no matter where that work is being done. Today, Xerox scientists and engineers are continuing our legacy of innovation with disruptive technologies in digital transformation, augmented reality, robotic process automation, additive manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things and cleantech.
About PARC
Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated (PARC), a Xerox company, is in the Business of Breakthroughs®. Practicing open innovation, it provides custom R&D services, technology, expertise, best practices and intellectual property to Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, startups, and government agencies and partners. The company creates new business options, accelerates time to market, augments internal capabilities and reduces risk for clients. Since its inception, PARC has pioneered many technology platforms – from the Ethernet and laser printing to the GUI and ubiquitous computing – and has enabled the creation of many industries. Incorporated as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox in 2002, PARC today continues the research that enables breakthroughs for businesses.
Read More
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
WuXi Biologics | June 06, 2022
WuXi Biologics ("WuXi Bio") (2269.HK), a global CRDMO service company, announced it has successfully launched the GMP operation of its new drug product facility DP5 located in Wuxi, China. The DP5 is the ninth operational drug product facility in the global network of WuXi Biologics.
The DP5 facility features an advanced isolator filling line for continuous and steady filling services, which offers multiple volume delivery options for pre-filled syringes (PFS), including 1 mL Long, 1 mL, 2.25 mL and 3 mL. The maximum filling speed can reach 400 PFS/min to support 17 million syringes of drug products manufacturing every year. The increased manufacturing capacity at DP5 allows WuXi Biologics to provide global partners with faster and more robust end-to-end drug product services for their innovative products at different scales and stages.
Compared to a traditional drug product filling line, DP5's state-of-the-art design and layout, single-use technology and automated equipment, significantly decrease the risk of contamination and maintain aseptic control required in the filling process. This process supports clients' products scale up to commercial capability and reliably delivers to patients under the highest quality standards which WuXi Biologics represents.
Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, commented, "Pre-filled syringes have emerged as one of the fastest-growing choices for biologics dosage form as our partners seek new and more convenient biologics delivery methods. The GMP operation of DP5, our first commercial drug product facility for pre-filled syringes, not only demonstrates our commitment to global partners, but also marks an important milestone for WuXi Biologics to become one of the global leaders in drug product CDMO services. We'll continue to enable our clients to advance innovative biologics towards clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and commercialization to benefit patients worldwide."
About WuXi Biologics
WuXi Biologics (2269.HK) is a global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions that enable partners to discover, develop, and manufacture biologics – from concept to commercialization – for the benefit of patients worldwide.
With over 10,000 skilled employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Singapore, WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to provide customers with efficient and cost-effective biologics discovery, development, and manufacturing solutions. As of the end of 2021, WuXi Biologics is supporting over 480 integrated client projects, including nine in commercial manufacturing.
WuXi Biologics views Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities as an integral component of our ethos and business strategy, and we aim to become an ESG leader in the biologics CRDMO sector. Our facilities use next-generation biomanufacturing technologies and clean energy sources. We have also established an ESG committee led by our CEO to steer the comprehensive ESG strategy and its implementation, further enhancing our commitment to sustainability.
Read More
PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN
Avicanna | January 15, 2022
Avicanna Inc. (“Avicanna” or the “Company“) (TSX: AVCN) (OTCQX: AVCNF) (FSE: 0NN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products, is pleased to announce that through its majority owned subsidiary Santa Marta Golden Hemp (“SMGH”) the company has entered into a Master Supply Agreement with established Chilean pharmaceutical company Knop Laboratorios S.A. (“Knop”) to supply a range of cannabinoid-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (“API”) for the manufacturing, and commercialization of proprietary cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products in Latin America.
Since 2018, Avicanna and Knop have developed a collaborative enterprise which has led to commercial imports of Avicanna´s API, including CBD and THC, which has been used in the development, production and commercialization of several cannabinoid-based products. Through this Master Supply Agreement between SMGH and Knop the two companies are further fortifying their commitments to a fruitful partnership and preparing for industrialization of Knop’s cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals manufactured using Avicanna’s organic, sustainable inputs.
About Knop Laboratorios S.A.
Knop Laboratorios S.A. is a Chilean pharmaceutical company and pioneer in herbal medicine with more than 90 years of experience in the field and active presence in several Latin American countries including Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru. With a GMP certified plant located in Quilpué, Chile, Knop Laboratorios serves its markets with high-quality pharmaceutical products. Knop has a wide portfolio of registered products, including Cannabiol®, a cannabinoid-based product already registered in Perú, and its own commercial infrastructure including strategic partnerships with 80+ “Knop Pharmacies” in Chile. In 2021, Knop opened the first R&D Center in Chile for phytomedicines and active ingredients of natural origin.Knop is carrying out various Clinical Studies for their cannabinoid-based products, with authorization from the appropriate health authorities.
“We are happy to announce the fortification of our partnership with Knop and further expand into the Chilean market through our active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) offerings with an established pharmaceutical leader and pioneer in the cannabinoid sector in Chile. Over the past few years, we have worked closely together and are thrilled about the potential of what the two companies can accomplish jointly in the emerging medical and pharmaceutical industry, of the Southern Cone of Latin America.”
- Lucas Nosiglia, President of Avicanna LATAM.
About Avicanna
Avicanna is a Canadian commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company established in cannabinoid research, development, and evidence-based products for the global consumer, as well as medical and pharmaceutical market segments. In leading global cannabinoid advancements, Avicanna conducts most of its research in Canada at its R&D headquarters in the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre, JLABS @ Toronto, located in the MaRS Discovery District. The company actively collaborates with leading Canadian academic and medical institutions. Avicanna has established an industry-leading scientific platform including advanced R&D and clinical development which has led to the commercialization of over twenty products across four main market segments:
Medical Cannabis & Wellness Products: Marketed under the RHO Phyto™ brand, or Magisterial Preparations, these medical and wellness products are an advanced line of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products containing varying ratios of cannabidiol (“CBD”) and tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”). The product portfolio contains a full formulary of products including oral, sublingual, topical, and transdermal deliveries that have controlled dosing, enhanced absorption and stability studies supported by pre-clinical data. The advanced formulary is marketed with consumer, patient and medical community education and training. Avicanna’s medical and wellness product portfolio also forms the foundation of the Company’s pharmaceutical pipeline with the contribution of the formulations that form the basis of the products as well as the data generated from sales and participation of the products in real world evidence studies.
CBD Derma-Cosmetic Products: Marketed under the Pura H&W™ or Pura Earth™ brands, these registered, clinically tested, derma-cosmetic products include a portfolio of functional CBD topical products.
Pharmaceutical Pipeline: Leveraging Avicanna’s scientific platform, vertical integration, and real-world evidence, Avicanna has created a pipeline of patent-pending drug candidates which are indication-specific and in various stages of clinical development and commercialization. These cannabinoid-based drug candidates provide solutions for unmet medical needs in the areas of dermatology, chronic pain, and various neurological disorders. Avicanna’s first pharmaceutical preparation (Trunerox) is in the drug registration stage in South America.
Cannabis Raw Materials, Seeds, and Bulk Formulations: Marketed under the Aureus™ brand, the Company’s raw material business has successfully completed sales to 11 countries. Aureus offers cannabis dried flower, standardized seeds, full spectrum extracts, and cannabinoid distillates, isolated cannabinoids (CBD, THC, cannabigerol (“CBG”) and other rare cannabinoids), and bulk formulations derived from hemp and cannabis cultivars through its sustainable, economical, and industrial-scale subsidiaries based in Colombia. The majority of the Aureus products are produced at Santa Marta Golden Hemp S.A.S. (“SMGH”), the Company’s majority-owned subsidiary, which is also Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (“GACP”) certified and has United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) National Organic Program certification for its hemp cultivar.
Read More