In a matter of seconds, thanks to an implanted defibrillator, his body literally jolted back to life and his heart started beating again. He was taken to the hospital after his collapse and resuscitation, and checked out fine. He continued playing soccer for another nine years<\/A>.<\/P><\/p>\n
\u201cThe miraculous part is that it works so fast, that there is no damage to the brain or any other organs,\u201d said Professor Pedro Brugada, cardiologist and head of the Heart Rhythm Management Centre at University Hospital in Brussels.<\/P>
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On its basic level, MES tracks production on the shop floor. After a part is designed and specified, production is scheduled. The MES manages the steps of the production process, informs operators, validates business rules and records all actions in an audit trail. This ensures a product is built consistently as designed.<\/P> Manufacturers can then better prevent errors by ensuring data is properly collected and is within acceptable values, verify equipment maintenance has been performed and validate employee training.<\/P><\/p>\n MES\u2019s importance is realized in the medical device industry where new product introductions must be quick, growth is critical and innovation is key.<\/P> People like Van Loo depend on lifesaving equipment to work at the exact point it\u2019s needed or risk organ failure, brain damage or death. Implementing an MES in the medical industry means data flows back and forth with other systems seamlessly and with greater traceability, leading to fewer defects, more rapid and accurate safety recall notices, better performance and more innovation delivered faster \u2013 all at a lower price.<\/P> \u201cThey (defibrillators) are invisible, but they\u2019re working 24\/7, and they have to run and be reliable for years,\u201d says Juergen Lindner, general manager of MSEI.<\/P> It\u2019s easy to assume that the businesses employing MES solutions are the ones receiving the benefit of its use, but benefits reach far beyond that for people who rely on their devices every day, and all day, to keep them alive. <\/P><\/p>\n \u201cThe pace of change is so fast; you can\u2019t grow by just adding people,\u201d said Tom Rosso, vice president of global consumables operations at Illumina.<\/P>
As cutting edge as Micro Systems Engineering Inc.<\/A> (MSEI) was in medical technology, the company still used paper-based manufacturing processes that kept it from growing. To become more competitive, innovative and churn out life-saving products faster, they transitioned from paper-based processes to a comprehensive, digitalized manufacturing execution system (MES).<\/P><\/p>\nDefining MES manufacturing<\/H3>
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The MES guides operators through a series of steps to perform, handles any non-conformances, accepts data collected from a number of sources to be linked to steps of the process, and verifies that the correct materials, tools, and equipment are used at each step. Operators are receiving better instructions leading to less stress as they work with automation.<\/P><\/p>\n
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Consider that a new consumables part is introduced every 15 hours in the medical device industry, and the typical lifespan of a part is less than two years before it is updated or obsolete. On top of that, thousands of engineering change orders are processed annually. Batch records, which detail descriptions of processes<\/A>, can commonly exceed six inches of paper per day, literally reaching miles of paperwork per product.<\/P><\/p>\n
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Van Loo was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2008 and had been outfitted with a BIOTRONIK implantable defibrillator<\/A>, a product of MSEI.<\/P><\/p>\n
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With each iteration and new product in development having increased complexity, MSEI found focusing more on automation, integration and digital data exchange allowed employees to complete more with greater accuracy and better implementation. Before costly, physical prototypes are created, companies like MSEI have the ability to answer \u201cwhat-if\u201d questions in the virtual environment before committing to physical iterations.<\/P><\/p>\n![\"MES](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/MES-Manufacturing-1.png\" "\\"MES")
<\/span><\/P><\/p>\nEmploying MES for medical device<\/A> technology<\/H3>
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