MCAA: Innovation asks questions; new FDA report

Long before there’s an answer, there’s a question. An innovative culture questions everything, according to Marijn E. Dekkers, president and CEO of Thermo Electron Corp . Creativity in product development means doing the right things, and avoiding a few things, too. Dekkers made the comments at the Measurement, Control, and Automation Association (MCAA) breakfast, during the ISA 2004 show in Houston. His discussions, in part, referenced the new FDA report, ” Pharmaceutical Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) for the 21st Century .”

Dekkers advises investing heartily in R&D, but avoiding excessive investment in trying to find and develop only breakthrough products. Striking a balance can be tough, he admits, because the “no competition” niche in a new, high-demand product area is the best way to be successful. Most product introductions extend existing capabilities, rather than hit home-run breakthroughs. The process is key, Dekkers says. First, there needs to be strong front-end analysis with customer input and assessment of internal capabilities. Then, there’s a decision to go forward. Apply project management discipline to process execution with rigorous checks along the way, Dekkers says.And, there are a few things, Dekkers says, to avoid:

Don’t develop a product or enhance a feature because you can—the customer has to need it;

Don’t only react to competition with “me too” products;

Don’t keep projects alive forever; and

Don’t forget the importance of moving beyond development and testing into all that’s appropriate for a product launch.

Analytical technologies move from lab to inline, real time

Technology from lab
Migration to inline
Application

FTIR microscopes
FTIR imaging systems
Pharmaceutical tablet imaging

Chemiluminescence
Explosives detection
Airport security

X-ray fluorescence
Steel and metals production
Alloy formulation

Mass spectrometry
Nuclear fuel production
Uranium purity

Fluorescence
Ambient gas analysis
CO2 analysis in soda

pH and IS electrochemistry
Beverage production
Wine composition

Gamma radiation imaging
Coal production
Coal blending

X-ray imaging
Food/beverage inspection
Coal blending

Source: Control Engineering with information from Thermo Electron Corp.

Moving process analytical technologies from slower laboratory-based testing to inline, real-time applications, are key examples of process industry innovation, Dekkers says. For related information on expanding the use of technology, go to the U.S. FDA’s report on CGMPs for the pharmaceutical industry . The report, two years in process, states as one of its goals, to “encourage the early adoption of new technological advances by the pharmaceutical industry.”For recent Thermo Electron coverage from Control Engineering , also see:

Thermo Electron executive keynotes MCAA event

Thermo Electron purchases InnaPhase

—Mark T. Hoske, editor-in-chief, Control Engineering, MHoske@cfemedia.com

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