Sponsored • Boehringer Ingelheim relies on Rein Medical for monitors and digital door signs
Safety guaranteed, requirements fulfilled
Pharmaceutical research companies impose very high security standards on themselves for good reasons, as they are potential victims of cyberattacks and espionage attempts. This is no different at Boehringer Ingelheim. Its systems must be particularly secure, which means they need to meet high standards. The company checks this regularly. One way to ensure this is to separate the systems from the office network. Each monitor is assigned a separate port, which is checked via IT security. This has helped the biopharmaceutical company successfully stand their ground against any attacks so far.
Mönchengladbach-based IT service provider Rein Medical has been supplying these monitors since 2019. The company and its solutions also underwent a security check prior to installation. Boehringer Ingelheim relies on eight Operion monitors with a 24” display size and two monitors with a 55” display size in its laboratories and work areas.
The monitors are exclusively used to display information. With the 24" displays, the employees also have access to the Manufacturing Management Software (MMS), i.e., the holistic software for automatic production planning and control. They can use it to centrally enter data, and to operate and control workstations and systems.
In the selection process, Boehringer Ingelheim's managers looked at a whole range of monitors from different manufacturers and assessed them based on predefined criteria. In the end, they chose Rein Medical because the company provides a broad product portfolio covering many different sizes. Their monitors also fulfil other essential requirements: They can be treated with commercially available cleaning agents, have a retractable keyboard and meet all fire protection requirements as well as other specifications of the pharmaceutical company.
After the choice of system, the introduction of the monitors went equally smooth. The displays run efficiently. Since the terminals are connected to the room information system via a terminal server, there is only one point that needs to be maintained. The electronic door signs also perform reliably.
Knowing from the outside what’s going on inside
This holds true for the 40 door signs that Boehringer Ingelheim has been using since April 2021. ‘Employees of the customer saw the digital door signs during a meeting at our headquarters in Mönchengladbach and were immediately interested,’ recalls Dirk Lambertz, the sales representative responsible for the project at Rein Medical. ‘They were particularly taken with the LED status display, which is quite unique in this form.’ Another feature that won them over was the possibility of adding individual content to the door signs.
At that time, Boehringer Ingelheim needed a digital display to provide employees with key information about rooms and equipment on site. The display also had to meet the high requirements for peripheral devices within the production rooms. After their cleanroom suitability had been successfully tested, the Doorsign displays were easily integrated into the IT infrastructure. The high flexibility of the electronic door labels was helpful in this process.
Thomas Jahn, automation engineer at Boehringer Ingelheim, regards the integrated LED frame as a particular highlight of the door signs, as well as the possibility of control via both hardware contacts and software. ‘These control options are central to GxP alarms for critical products,’ he explains.
The data displayed comes directly from the company's internal building and room information system and is shown on the Doorsign displays. This gives the employees a better overview of what is happening in the laboratories and production rooms. The Doorsign solution was easily integrated into Boehringer Ingelheim's existing IT infrastructure and offers tremendous added value by making processes transparent.
A very satisfied client
Thomas Jahn regards the cooperation with Rein Medical as positive: ‘The introduction of all components went smoothly. When problems did occur, we always received help quickly. We've also always been able to make an appointment quickly with the support team.’
16.02.2023
