Rachel Shelley, head of medical technologies, IDA Ireland, explains why medtech is well placed to lead in ‘lights-out’ manufacturing, and how companies in Ireland are being helped towards this.
With the way we work in offices to factory floors having changed so rapidly in the wake of the global pandemic, digitisation is coming to the forefront as a solution to some of the challenges posed by a highly contagious virus. It offers safer, remote working for employees yet also faster, more efficient, agile and intelligent working for companies. So, it is clear to see why Industry 4.0 and ‘smart manufacturing’ is on the rise, and medtech has great opportunity to lead the way.
Like many areas of digitisation, the speed of transformation pre-pandemic has, for many companies, become much faster since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to a 2020 McKinsey report, as companies ‘reimagine operations for the next normal’ manufacturers are now reconfiguring their supply chains and their production lines to future-proof processes.
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Medtech companies are already making headway, harnessing its benefits of technologies such as robotics, automation, cloud computing, AI, machine learning and advanced enterprise software. Medtech has been an early mover towards automation because of its impact on driving productivity, particularly in a discrete manufacturing environment through better connecting systems and technologies.
For a good example look no further that Stryker, with the largest medtech additive manufacturing centre in the world in Cork. The company announced it is investing more than €200 million at research and development across three of its Cork facilities. The funding is part of the company’s drive to develop next-generation products and services across its surgical, orthopaedics and neurotechnology and spine units.
DePuy Synthes is also taking strides in Industry 4.0 with its facility at Ringaskiddy, County Cork, which produces replacement hip and knee joints. This, and a sister Janssen plant in Cork have both been named by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as global lighthouses for embedding internet of things (IoT) into modern production. Lighthouses are selected from a survey of global manufacturing sites based on a successful track record of implementing Industry 4.0 technologies.
DePuy Synthes Cork used IoT technology to create digital representations of physical assets leading to advanced machine insights, resulting in lower operating costs and a reduction in machine downtime. Janssen’s Cork site has digitally connected research and development, its internal and external manufacturing, and deployed advanced process control solutions to drive near real-time visibility of supply chain status. This has improved reliability by 50%, and accelerated technology transfers while reducing costs by 20%.
Data, analytics and intelligence are fundamental to manufacture
Greater intelligence and analytics from automated factories provide insight into machine health and productivity as well as operator issues, leading to more efficient working. Furthermore, when sensors and advanced analytics are combined with wearable devices it is possible to determine how those devices are being used in the real world. This offers enormous potential to improve the supply chain, enhance patient care and deliver on the increased demand for personalised care.
Ireland provides innovative support to boost Industry 4.0 production
When it comes to adopting Industry 4.0, Ireland is giving medtech companies a head start. High profile companies like Stryker and DePuy Synthes have been attracted to Ireland by the talent pool, highly interconnected ecosystem and regulatory regime that supports a thriving Life Sciences industry.
To meet the need for manufacturing companies to embrace and accelerate their adoption of digital technologies, a new national Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) will open in Limerick in early 2022. Funded by the Irish Government, the AMC will help both multinational and indigenous manufacturers to access, try, adopt, deploy and scale smart manufacturing technologies. It will also focus on upskilling for future production skills. Given so many firms are considering the benefits of digitisation and how best to get started, the AMC will focus on helping companies understand where they might implement emerging technologies to transition current manufacturing into smart manufacturing.
Medtech companies have much to gain from digitisation and is well positioned to lead the way in smart manufacture. However, it is access to the right infrastructure, skills and a supportive ecosystem that will drive the industry transformation.
