Detecting anomalies and variations is especially crucial in manufacturing industries such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals. In these industries, it is essential to monitor and fix critical process parameters, and critical quality attributes to improve output and meet regulatory standards.

Various issues surface when the manufacturing process deviates from its expected parameters. The company inevitably encounters production, quality, safety, environmental, and cost issues. When these problems present themselves, it is always important to identify what went wrong by detecting what ‘changed’ and what led them to that situation. Identifying the root cause of the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible enables both management and technical operators to make sound decisions that accurately address the issue at hand.

Process Anomalies and Variations

Anomalies are, by definition, rare events that veer away from standard or expected behavior. Anomaly detection aims to detect these unusual patterns deviating from the rest of the data or those outside of the norm. This translates data into critical actionable information and indicates valuable insights in various application areas. It is a powerful application of machine learning in a real-world situation. Anomaly detection systems are essential in swiftly identifying key process changes that ensure effective troubleshooting and analysis.

Process variation on the other hand occurs when processes fail to observe an exact pattern. Detecting process variation is important to keep processes safe, consistent, and predictable so manufacturers can guarantee the quality and safety of their products.

Anomalies and variations cause issues in different application areas, affect system performance, and bring about unpredictability and failure. The origin of these anomalies and variations are often unknown effects within complex processes. That is why the capability of detecting them with the help of real-time data is important to ensure the necessary outcome of complex technical systems.

Importance of Product Genealogy

Product Genealogy monitors essential manufacturing data — from raw materials to finished goods. The data gathered through this important tool can be utilized to assess quality output at every manufacturing stage versus the predetermined specifications.

Keeping track of all of this important information is very critical to manufacturers. There are numerous advantages of executing a product genealogy including:

  • Increased product quality
  • Ensured compliance
  • Improved predictability
  • Enhanced overall efficiency
  • Reduced waste and expenses

Product genealogy also minimizes risks and provides an avenue to track, recall, and dispose of any compromised product. With its capacity to track an item back down to its raw material, issues can be quickly identified and addressed.

By applying a system that makes use of product genealogy, manufacturers are now able to gain total visibility and control at every stage of its production to help detect process anomalies and variations even before they turn into a problem.

Contact us and schedule a personalized demo to learn how Mareana’s Manufacturing Intelligence solutions can help you enforce data traceability and more.