The health of a water purification system can be determined by observing the quality of water it is producing. Constantly measuring the quality of the water with the pre-defined parameters is a very healthy practice and helps the operations stay stress free and produce high quality products in the long run. This factor holds the same importance in Pharmaceutical pure water generators as well, wherein maintaining the integrity of the pure water systems is crucial to the entire operations of the company. No doubt, we live in an imperfect world; people make mistakes and machines breakdown. The goal is to minimize the impact on the overall working of the system. This is only possible if you constantly monitor the performance of the water system, compare it with the standards and most importantly make the necessary amends or perform maintenance to safeguard the quality of the water system produced.
So how do we make sure the quality is exceptional in your water systems? Below we take look at some tips to improve quality-
Measure it all
Measurement quality is everything in a pure water system; from measuring the quality of feed water to measuring the quality of the final product. Measuring quality ensures that you stay on top of your water system. This also makes sure that you are avoiding or rather quality issues before they occur. Now, this can be a huge difference, when you consider that a small gap in measurement can impact the quality of the purified water produced. Two key performance indicators (KPI) for quality measurement are quality escapes and quality captured. Quality captured is the mistake/defect that your team was able to identify internally. Since these issues are captured internally, you can strategize and deploy countermeasures and control the overall impact of the end product quality. This can be crucial for water systems engaged in producing Water for Injection (WFI), as WFI is used for parenteral purposes and has strict quality requirements. The other KPI, quality escaped, is the quality issues that escaped your operations and were discovered by the client. These issues are embarrassing and can undermine the long term relationship. But it is advisable to be transparent about these mistakes and can help bring your team’s attention to the problem. This may help you mitigate the problem better with a ‘spotlight’ on the problem and your team can work collaboratively to come up with a solution. Thus, the first step to improving quality is implementing a quality system based on consistent measurement.
Focus on process and not people
Every employee comes to work to give their best and do a good job. The pure water system can be very sensitive operations and a small issue in the machines can often impact the quality of the pure water. Hence, in most cases, the defect is the process and not the person. Keep that in mind, and try fixing the system. This can be done by adding new checks in the system or an extra layer of a quality check in the existing operations. Constantly examining your water system for visible and non-visible defects and then implementing a solution to repair it immediately is what is expected and required in a pure water operation. Placing the blame of a mistake on the people can prove counter-productive in the long run as it affects employee morale and doesn’t really help the company’s cause.
Huddle up!
Try and maintain a network of clear, transparent communication between all the departments of the operations. If possible, schedule weekly meetings to discuss the pain points of each and every process. These meetings can prove to be highly productive as they tend to highlight the roadblocks at the core level of the production. Eliminating these hindrances can prove to be highly useful in improving the operational efficiency of your pure water system. For example, acidic water causes corrosion in pipes. Before this corrosion starts affecting the quality of water, it will be visible in the water system. An effective channel of communication can ensure that the operator can report the corrosion and have systemic maintenance done to rid the system of any potential defects.
Display those impressive results
All efforts improve the quality is made up of those small tasks that each employee performs on a daily basis, therefore keeping them informed about significant improvements is critical. This visible reminder demonstrates that you have not only heard your employees but also worked on them and made sincere efforts to rid your operation of the problems. This kind of transparent communication instills confidence among the workforce and positively impacts the working of the systems ultimately helping you improve the quality of the end pharmaceutical product and your commitment towards constant improvement.
Quality is one of the key indicators of the health of a pure water system. Improving quality and maintaining it at acceptable levels is a long arduous task, but very well achievable. Therefore, partnering with the right manufacturer for your water system needs is important. TSA Water Systems manufacture water systems with high-quality materials so that you operate with minimum breakdowns and are guaranteed optimal purity levels. The Sun Pharma plant in Nigeria set up by us is a prime example of how constant monitoring, updating system regularly and consulting with the internal team can prove to be pivotal in identifying potential breakdown factors and effectively tackling them. With us, you can be assured that your pure water system will achieve and operate at the optimal purity level and you will get the lowest cost per litre.
Read more:
- Purified water production in pharma requires eternal vigilance to ensure highest quality standards. Here are a few common problems manufacturers face while designing a new system and how they can be tackled.
