Parker Bioscience ‘filter-out’ the alternatives and choose IndySoft

Employing approximately 58,000 people globally, Parker Hannifin is the world leader in Motion and Control technology. The company’s products and services cover areas including, aerospace, climate control, electromechanical, fluid and gas handling, hydraulics, pneumatics, process control and filtration.

With lead operations located in Oxnard, California and Birtley, UK, Parker Bioscience Engineering and Filtration have over 50 years of experience in the provision of high quality filtration products and services for applications within the life sciences, food and beverage, industrial processing and microelectronics markets.

The Parker Bioscience Filtration Birtley facility has recently undergone a multi-million pound development programme. This considerable investment has resulted in the site becoming one of the world’s most modern manufacturing sites for integrated bioprocessing solutions.

Essential to the efficient operation of the Birtley facility is the work of the company’s Instrument Service Group. The group provide support by maintaining, testing and calibrating a wide range of customer equipment, including filter integrity testing machines.

Prompted by Parker Hannifin’s philosophy of pursuing constant improvements, Andrew Harker of the Instrument Service Group, recently searched for an effective asset management software solution that would streamline the group’s processes, increase productivity, help in maintaining data integrity and improve logistics. After considering the offerings from several potential providers, the solution was found in IndySoft software.

Andrew Harker explained “The high-quality filtration systems manufactured by Parker Bioscience Birtley, are sold throughout the world. These systems perform critical operations by accurately monitoring and validating the performance of our customers’ filtration systems.

“The paper based system we were using to oversee the recall, processing, calibration, issuing of relevant certification and the return of our customers filter integrity testing machines, was only capable of handling our previously lower volume of work. As our installed base grew, the resulting increased workload began to show the limitations of the paper system.

“Our manual, paper based system involved the use of document folders, to add, store and retrieve information. The system was difficult to use and was prone to occasional mistakes, for example, the written data taken as part of our calibration procedures needed to be typed-up and this could lead to unwelcome transcription errors. Therefore, we needed to find a more efficient system that would speed-up our ‘housekeeping’ and calibration processes.

“I performed an on-line search for a suitable software system. After reviewing some of the available options and realising that they were not easy to adapt to our particular needs, and were also relatively difficult to use, I came across the IndySoft Asset Management software. IndySoft appeared to tick all of our boxes, therefore I requested a demonstration.

“Given that the use of IndySoft would represent a radical change to the way the Instrument Service Group operated, we organised an in-house demonstration that was performed by the managing Director of IndySoft Europe, Jake Bishop. The demonstration was completed in the presence of our Instrument Service Group operatives, our senior IT staff and several other potential company users.

“In addition to Jake demonstrating the software’s logical structure, ease of use and speed.  He was also able to clearly demonstrate the software’s ability to streamline the operations of the Instrument Service Group. In the course of the demonstration many other advantages were discovered. Having proved that IndySoft was ideal for use by our Instrument Service Group, colleagues from other departments began to explore issues related to their own functions. In the vast majority of cases, Jake was able to illustrate how IndySoft was able to help in these other areas too.

“Although the original justification and return on investment case was based on calculated time savings. We were now able to identify other efficiencies IndySoft would bring to our Instrument Service Group. Also, as it was proven that several other departments would also gain a range of advantages from the software’s adoption, it made the argument for purchasing IndySoft even more compelling.

“After our IT department confirmed that IndySoft would be able to dovetail easily with other software applications and systems, and mindful of the additional benefits it would deliver to other departments, I altered my justification case accordingly. As a result, we were able to predict an even quicker return on investment and an order was soon placed.

“As IndySoft is so easy to use, the software’s installation and the change-over from our previous manual system was trouble free. As a result of IndySoft’s in-house training and the software’s very logical layout providing simple workflows, we were soon able to make use of the vast majority of the software’s applications. Now, on the rare occasion that we come across a problem, we have access to IndySoft Europe’s help line that is able to provide instant assistance and support.

“Unlike some of the other more ridged software solutions we considered, IndySoft is extremely flexible and adaptable. As we have now gained more experience and confidence in the software’s use, we have begun to customise various screens and workflows to suit our own particular use.

“When compared to our previous unwieldly, paper based system, we are convinced that our department has made a quantum leap forward by adopting the most efficient software based asset management system we could find. IndySoft has delivered on all of the promises made prior to purchase and has transformed our department’s efficiency levels”

For the past 20 years, IndySoft has been changing the way manufacturing businesses and commercial calibration labs have managed their assets. With a focus on calibration, tooling, automation, maintenance and repair, over the past two decades IndySoft has introduced multiple, innovative, new asset management solutions to its software.

As a best-in-class solution, IndySoft is able to take customers quality systems to the next level. Users can utilise the standard, out-of-the-box, best practice configuration. Or, rather than utilise the software’s standard operating set-up, IndySoft’s flexible nature allows workflows to be optimised to suit the calibration, maintenance and asset tracking needs of each individual business. Complete traceability is guaranteed as a comprehensive history of all user interactions is maintained to preserve a complete audit trail.

Operators tasks are made that much easier by the use of automated recalls for due notices and alerts. Also, trigger notifications are flagged-up for equipment that fails calibration work and requires a follow up with corrective action.

Although ideal for use across countless other ISO compliant sectors, IndySoft is designed to help the life sciences industry ensure authenticity, integrity, and when appropriate confidentiality of electronic records to comply with 21 CFR Part 11.