Overview
This customer is one of the largest manufacturers of contact lenses and lens care merchandise. These products require close attention to quality, safety and efficacy. The customer needed a partner to rewrite an obsolete software program, update electrical design, add additional functionality and tie it to their plant production and quality database in order to integrate a new machine. Since this is a regulated process, a complete set of validation documents needed to be written and executed before the customer could use the new system.
The Challenge
The customer was seeking a partner that could execute and coordinate a multi-faceted project. This partner would need to understand the existing hardware/software, interview the customer and document the new solution, interface with the machine builder, write the new software, write and execute the validation documents and start up the system for the current machine being built as well as future machines.
The solution required interfacing with the customer and machine builder and executing many different and diverse tasks while providing a complete single source solution. The customer could have hired multiple companies for software design, hardware design, project management, panel building, writing and executing the validation documents and startup. Instead, the customer partnered with Avanceon to implement every phase of this complicated project, requiring multiple areas of expertise.
The Avanceon Solution
The solution was to work with the customer and complete each unique phase:
· Understanding the existing software’s purpose, how it worked and what hardware it controlled
· Defining the new software solution, including essential hardware and software changes
· Coordinating the electrical design with the machine builder
· Creating drawings to document the required new controls
· Writing critical validation documents that would be used to validate the system (URS, FRS, DDS, FAT, SAT, etc.)
· Writing the new software and test plans
· Building the control panels for the new machine
· Internally testing the system at Avanceon
· Reporting to the machine builder, starting up the new system and executing the FAT document with our customer
· Reporting to the customer’s facility, starting up the machine and executing the SAT document with our customer.
The Team
Avanceon put together a team of skilled engineers to implement this multi-phase project and coordinate the various disciplines required.
Result
Avanceon completed all the tasks and got the first machine running and validated. We were then able to perform the essential tasks on the next seven machines, including a new machine design from a different manufacturer. Avanceon acted as a single source of all the required tasks and minimized our customer’s involvement in the project, which allowed them to focus on running their business.
Conclusion
Since the project started with the first new machine, seven additional machines were added over the years with the last five being from a different manufacturer. Avanceon was able to execute all the different tasks including portions of the validation to put all the machines into production. This project demonstrates the ability of Avanceon’s team to work independently, freeing customers to concentrate on other priorities with the assurance that their project is in capable hands. Our engineers possess the skills and experience necessary to provide holistic solutions and eliminate the need to hire multiple firms to complete a wide variety of tasks.