Emerson Process Management only had to wait a matter of days after the launch of its Syncade Smart Operations Management suite at ARC’s Orlando forum before it was able to announce its first customer. Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has specified the new software as part of the overall automation solution being provided by Emerson for its new facility in Devens, Mass. Emerson will also be providing a DeltaV control system and a network of intelligent digital field devices.
The new $750m Large-Scale Cell Culture (LSCC) facility is designed for campaigned, multi-product production with 120,000 liters of bioreactor capacity and is scheduled to become commercially operational in 2011. The operational plan will be based on electronic workflow to reduce deviations, expedite batch review and release, improve real-time inventory management, and utilize industry and corporate standards, with integration of real-time plant floor information with enterprise processes a key component.
Operations management will use the modular Syncade software for such workflow processes as monitoring and controlling fully automated equipment, electronic work instructions, equipment status tracking, recipe-driven operations, material tracking, automated weigh and dispense operations, electronic data capture, exception reporting and integration with ERP. Specifically, BMS plans to take advantage of Syncade’s integrated recipe design and execution environment, which spans both manual and automated processes, to automatically generate a comprehensive electronic batch record to meet regulatory compliance requirements, including electronic signatures.
