What do we mean when we describe something as being process critical?
At Reliance we define our systems, components and technologies as being process critical when they are required to function reliably and accurately each time, every time – often for 10 to 15 years of operational use. Critical to this definition is the importance of evaluating, understanding and engineering the resilience of essential features and functionality to ensure that operational certainty and performance is delivered without fail.
What is Resilient Thinking?
Resilient Thinking is the approach we take at Reliance to fully understand our customers’ requirements and needs – it is the ability to consider a project or technology from every conceivable angle, at every stage of the development process, and subsequently understand how satisfying those needs delivers competitive advantage for the customer. It is about anticipating the unexpected – understanding what that might look like and then using our world class know-how and expertise to engineer a component, sub-assembly or assembly that operates exactly as it was intended and designed to, without fail. For us, this is the Customer Value Proposition that we aim to deliver on.
This article explores Resilient Thinking as an approach to building process critical systems and how it can mitigate risk as well as improve repeatability and reliability to ensure process success.
Why is Resilient Thinking so important?
The life sciences industry focuses on advancing the health and wellbeing of people, animals and the environment through scientific discovery and development. It is an enormous global market that encompasses everything from pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices to biomedical and analytical instruments. In an ever-changing world full of global challenges, the life sciences market continues to grow. This is driven by ground-breaking and cutting-edge scientific and technological developments that support the progression of scientific understanding.
When a scientific breakthrough needs to be translated into technology, scientists look to engineers to help them design and manufacture a suitable instrument or system. This could be anything from a laboratory automation solution or system for a microscopy, spectroscopy, photonics or mass spectrometry application.
Behind every dependable instrument or product lies a system of sub-systems which have often been designed and manufactured by separate suppliers. Global blue-chip companies must diligently navigate this complexity in order to develop a resilient supply chain that they can trust to deliver sub-systems that will perform in critical applications, whilst meeting strict regulatory constraints.
For life sciences systems, reliability and repeatability are not just technical requirements; they are necessities. Instrument failure can lead to inaccurate results and invalid test or research outcomes which could even compromise patient safety. Achieving the optimum solution doesn’t happen by chance – it’s the result of deep collaboration and co-development that is founded on the ability to ask the right questions. In an industry where time-to-market is incredibly important, this part of the development or NPDI process can be undervalued or overlooked.
Resilient Thinking in practice
The process of asking the ‘right’ technical and indeed strategic questions uncovers hidden requirements and leads to the development of a safer, more effective and compliant product which aligns with a customer’s commercial goals as well as the wider clinical requirements or research goals of the end-user. Whether it’s challenging assumptions, clarifying requirements, or exploring alternatives – good questions lead to better designs, safer systems and smarter decisions. Resilient Thinking is typically a three-stage process:
1. Understand and meet performance and reliability needs
Understanding the wider context of the system is vitally important to our ability to design resilient sub-systems that deliver peak performance in that it directly influences design choices, materials selection and manufacturing processes and methods.
Typical considerations might include:
How does the sub-system integrate into existing workflows or automation systems?
What critical function does this sub-system perform within the overall product?
What happens to the larger system if this sub-system fails or underperforms?
What risks (technical, regulatory, environmental) could affect design choices?
When we understand the answer to these questions, we can apply our engineering expertise and understanding of the impact of complex environments to develop a resilient solution that aligns with customer requirements.
2. Engineer opportunities for competitive advantage
With Resilient Thinking, we aim to secure competitive advantage not for ourselves but for our customer. Where competitive advantage can be achieved for example, speed-to-market for a new product, we work at pace to develop a solution and transition seamlessly into full-scale production within an agreed timeframe.
Have you ever worked with a team of engineers where the technical elegance of a solution and the level of complexity designed into it were significant? There are strengths to this approach but equally, some challenging drawbacks.
Typically, we consider:
When does the sub-system need to be delivered?
Can we reduce cost or complexity compared to existing solutions?
Does the sub-system meet the sustainability requirements of the overall instrument or product?
How can we move through development at pace and achieve a seamless transition to full-scale production?
Can we simplify the bill of materials or reduce assembly time without compromising quality?
Is there any novel or disruptive technology or process in this sub-system that could be developed?
Can we design for easier maintenance or a longer lifecycle to add value?
We take into consideration the importance of unit cost as a source of competitive advantage. We look to understand cost drivers such as material selection, methods of manufacture and tolerancing requirements and even surface finish requirements – all factors that can and must be considered at the design and development phase of a programme, where cost can be successfully designed out of the product before it reaches full rate production.
Typically, it is the understanding gained from this part of the process that drives the creative or innovative element of the Resilient Thinking approach.
3. Apply a deep knowledge of technology in complex environments
We aim to understand our customers’ requirements and needs for functionality and system capability. Then, we work to recognise the potential threats or risks to each of these requirements. Applying a deep understanding of complex environments is key to the success of life science technology – the environment a sub-system will operate in will influence a number of design choices.
Questions might include:
Will the product be used in a cleanroom, laboratory or clinical setting?
Does the product need to be sterile or support sterile workflows?
What are the temperature and humidity ranges it must withstand?
Will it come into contact with corrosive chemicals, solvents, or biological materials?
Is the product exposed to vibration or pressure changes? Will it need to operate in a vacuum?
Conclusion
In life sciences, a technology or instrument is only as successful as its weakest sub-system. This observation, and indeed responsibility, must be taken seriously. By asking the questions that others don’t and partnering for the long term, we help our customers mitigate risk and build systems with resilience built in from concept to production.
Reliance Precision’s Resilient Thinking approach starts and ends with the customer. In a technology driven industry, innovation will always be key to success, but in an uncertain and ever-changing world, resilience has become increasingly critical.
If you’re looking for a resilient technology partner or simply want to learn more about our Resilient Thinking approach for your instrument or product, please contact us. For more insights on the life sciences industry, visit the Resilient Thinking page of our website.
