Artificial intelligence driving inventory management for improved single-use systems manufacturing

Single-Use technology and systems have proven to enable a more flexible and cost-effective approach to biopharma commercial manufacturing and has seen exponential adoption over the past decade. However, along with this growth, it has exposed and highlighted instability and weakness within our supply chains that have led to increased lead times and vulnerability of this method of manufacturing. The pandemic has exposed the criticality of an efficient supply chain and how delicate it is today.  Our industry is at an inflection point now and looking for solutions to build a more robust process to assure supply of single use systems.

The manufacturing of a complete single-use assembly requires the production of many components, from thermoplastic elastomer tubing and filters to connectors and process sensors, more commonly referred to as the component library. Each assembly must be available, assembled, packed and able to withstand both typical and atypical transit challenges. If any part is impacted by the supply chain, it can increase delays in the production of life-changing therapies.

Component libraries continue to grow as new manufacturing products and methods are introduced and the supply chain becomes increasingly more complicated. Component standardization and using alternates have been offered as a potential solution, but have been greeted with little enthusiasm, and difficult to institute. Single Use technology’s greatest advantage is the manufacturing flexibility and customization it affords, putting constraints on this diminishes its greatest value.

Read more


Authors

Timothy Korwan

Director of New Product Development at Avantor

Tim has 20+ years of experience as an engineer and business development with VWR, PAW BioScience Products, and Biopure Corporation where he has designed single-use products, components, and systems that are used by the global drug and vaccine manufacturing industry.

Alex Joyner

Digital Lab Product Manager

Alex Joyner is the Digital Lab Product Manager at Avantor, supporting innovation and technology in Avantor’s Lab & Production Services and Biomanufacturing. Alex's emphasis on process improvement is driven through automation and digitalization, with a heavy focus on data utilization to fuel forecasting, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Alex brings 10+ years of supply chain and technology experience to drive innovation and continual improvement at Avantor. 

Sarah Ann Landry

Operations Manager, Avantor Fluid Handling Solutions

Sarah Landry is the Operations Manager at Avantor Fluid Handling in Devens, Ma. Sarah brings 15+ years of quality and operations experience to ensure that quality is embedded into the day to day operations at Avantor. Sarah drives continuous improvement and training efforts to support the growing needs of the business while ensuring the reliability and quality of our single-use systems.

Avantor®, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 300,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world.