Client: Piramal Healthcare
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Key tools or services
Diagnostics - Workflow Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
The cultural change here has been the key - there has been a great buy-in from the team. Working with the picme team has enabled us to look at issues on a more structured and logical way. Often this has meant re-learning the way people do things and, while not always easy at first, the benefits are there for all to see
Michael Devenport, Engineering Manager - Piramal
Requirement
Piramal is a world-leading custom manufacturing organisation. The Morpeth site, which was previously a part of Pfizer Inc, is an integrated API & Formulations site with scale-up and commercial manufacturing capabilities. It routinely supplies over 300 finished dosage forms SKUs (stock keeping units) to more than 100 markets worldwide. The company initially approached us with a primary aim of bringing about efficiency gains.
Response
Two of our consultants spent 15 days at the plant. They initially focused on workflow analysis, looking at how tasks were handled on a day to day basis and ways in which inefficiencies and wastage could be eradicated.
The work we did here was about value stream mapping certain tasks and identifying waste. Engineers, operators and maintenance technicians worked with the picme team to analyse tasks and look at ways we could take a more structured, scientific approach to bring about efficiency gains
Michael Devenport, Engineering Manager - Piramal
We also worked with the Piramal team on root cause analysis which entailed taking a more analytical approach to the following up of breakdowns, gaining a greater understanding of cause and effect in a bid to prevent future recurrences.
Engineers and technicians undertook training with us in 1st and 2nd level analysis and this training has now been embedded into the day to day activities at the plant, with the most significant breakdown of any working week now regularly examined in depth using scientific techniques.
Finally, we worked with the team on Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) which offers a structured approach to the prediction of potential failures. Solutions to the potential failures are then prioritised so that the most significant ones are dealt with first.
For Michael Devenport and his team, the experience with us has proved invaluable, offering both immediate benefits as well as long term gains as learning and new ways of working are embedded into the team.
The cultural change here has been the key - there has been a great buy-in from the team. Working with the team has enabled us to look at issues in a more structured and logical way. Often this has meant re-learning the way people do things and, while not always easy at first, the benefits are there for all to see. Consultants have been really patient and understanding with us, putting their messages across in a way that is interesting and stimulating
Michael Devenport, Engineering Manager - Piramal
Result
- Cost savings of around £100,000 per year
- Hundreds of maintenance man hours eliminated
- General feel-good factor that comes with the successful application of any change-programme
No matter how good you are, to substantially improve plant reliability and to continue to improve it into the future requires a structured approach and the discipline to follow that approach. This is what the Piramal team have implemented with their root cause analysis procedures
Russell Page - Consultant
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