Implementing a Next-Gen MES for Medical Device Production at a Fraction of the Cost
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Device Management Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Electronics
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Facility Management
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Additive Manufacturing
- Manufacturing System Automation
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
The Customer
Medical Device Company
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is a Medical Device Manufacturer. They were in the process of introducing a new product and needed to scale up production in a new greenfield assembly facility. The manufacturer was faced with the challenge of increasing production from a few units a month to hundreds of units a month within a 6-month timeline. They needed a solution that would enable frontline workers to assemble the units and record their activities at each step of the way for compliance purposes. The manufacturer decided to invest in Manufacturing 4.0 technology and implemented a validated solution using Tulip’s frontline operations platform.
The Challenge
A Medical Device Manufacturer was faced with the challenge of scaling up production for a new product introduction (NPI) within a 6-month timeline in a new greenfield assembly facility. The goal was to increase production from a few units a month built by engineers to hundreds of units a month by frontline workers. The engineering team needed to enable the frontline workers to assemble the units and record their activities at each step of the way via an eDHR for compliance purposes. The team foresaw challenges around overwhelming new staff with changing instructions and recording information. They concluded that using paper-based SOPs and history records was not a viable or efficient solution for onboarding a completely new team.
The Solution
The Medical Device Manufacturer decided to go paperless by investing in Manufacturing 4.0 technology in their new greenfield facility. They implemented a validated solution using Tulip’s frontline operations platform to support all assembly operations with interactive apps. They built 90+ apps to guide and track the build process step-by-step, including test and repair workflows to capture digital history records (eDHR). The platform allowed them to track production flow at every station, visualize the full production line, and ensure they were meeting production targets. The real-time data enabled engineers to view device manufacturing progress, track WIP levels, and non-conformances, identify trends in anomalies, and rapidly find and resolve the root cause.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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