📋 Case Study

Pharmaceutical Sterile Fill Line Batch Control Upgrade

Legacy DCS lacked ISA-88 compliance; audit trails incomplete and recipe changes required manual revalidation

🏗️ Project Overview

GMP-compliant aseptic fill line for biologics at FDA-inspected facility

🎯 Challenge

Legacy DCS lacked ISA-88 compliance; audit trails incomplete and recipe changes required manual revalidation

🔧 Design Approach

Modular batch control architecture using Rockwell Logix 5000 with S88-compliant recipe management and electronic signature integration

📐 Design Diagram

Legacy DCS• Non-ISA-88• Incomplete audit trailsS88 Architecture• Modular recipes• e-Signature integrationPLCRecipe ValidationOld: 40 hrs → New: 11.2 hrsReduction: 72%Audit Trail100% validated eventsISA-88 CompliantBatch Execution

AI-generated project design illustration

📐 Key Calculations

Recipe Validation Time Reduction

(Old_Hours − New_Hours)/Old_Hours × 100
Result: 72%
Reduced revalidation burden per change

Audit Trail Completeness

Validated Events / Total Events × 100
Result: 100%
Meets 21 CFR Part 11 requirements

📊 Results

FDA inspection passed with zero 483 observations; changeover time reduced from 4.5 to 1.2 hours

💡 Lessons Learned

  • ISA-88 modular design enables scalable validation
  • Time-synchronized logging must be hardware-enforced
  • Electronic signatures require PKI infrastructure

Key Takeaways

  • 1ISA-88 modular design enables scalable validation
  • 2Time-synchronized logging must be hardware-enforced
  • 3Electronic signatures require PKI infrastructure