Forward-thinking companies are investing in remote monitoring and response services that keep their equipment—and their teams—working smarter and faster.
As biopharma organizations seek ways to innovate at a faster pace, the need to ensure equipment uptime increases. That means for many organizations, it's no longer enough to react to equipment failures or operational issues after they occur.
This shift towards real-time, data-driven oversight is transforming how companies manage their facilities, equipment, and even their workforce. A growing number of organizations are discovering that remote monitoring isn't just about preventing downtime – it's about building partnerships, empowering teams, and driving continuous improvement.
The new era of connected support
Take, for example, a global contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CDMO). Connecting their equipment using remote monitoring and support makes it possible to unlock a new way of working with and understanding the equipment. And here's how.
Connected support provides both real-time visibility into equipment performance and access to help from experienced engineers. This level of support leads to fewer alerts and guidance on how the CDMO's own personnel can resolve an issue immediately – before the issue escalates into a bigger problem.
Rapid return to uptime
Fast response is critical to maintaining uptime and business continuity. Remote monitoring services address issues in minutes, rather than hours. For instance, engineers can be assigned, and a response plan can be devised immediately. This level of responsiveness is no longer an exception; it's quickly becoming the norm.
Building smarter, more informed teams
Perhaps one of the most exciting benefits of remote monitoring is how it's transforming teams. Rather than relying on external technicians for every minor issue, staff within these organizations are becoming more self-reliant and informed. As data become more accessible, staff can resolve many issues on their own or with minimal remote support. It's possible to handle parts replacements and routine maintenance thanks to the detailed guidance and swift action that a remote monitoring system enables.
Teamwork isn't limited to the internal workforce; external engineers also learn more about the customer needs and operations through the monitoring tool – by identifying trends that can help optimize the operational impact.
For example, engineers may notice high usage of certain components, such as pumps and UV lamps. While these trends might not signal an urgent problem, they may spur valuable conversations about stocking spare parts and planning for preventive maintenance. In other words, real-time data is about more than just fixing things when they break. It's about learning from every alert, maintenance log, and performance report. Over time, these insights lead to more informed decisions, more efficient teams, and fewer disruptions.
Case study: how smarter equipment service helped a vaccine maker cut downtime
A global vaccine manufacturer had a big win in drug development and needed to grow quickly. That meant opening new labs, buying more equipment, and hiring hundreds of people. But finding skilled workers wasn't easy, and the process of onboarding new teams led to equipment problems such as broken arms on machines and salt buildup in pumps. This caused delays, unexpected costs, and frequent service visits.
To stay ahead, the company switched to a smarter service plan. It combined regular checkups with an Internet of Things (IoT) solution. OptiRun™ Connect remote monitoring system offered quick issue detection, alerts to the right person, and a quick escalation to a Cytiva service engineer as needed. Many issues were resolved in-house with just an email or a short call.
This proactive solution gave new teams confidence and saved time. Field engineers arrived with all the info they needed, cutting downtime by 45%. With fewer disruptions, the company could focus on what mattered most: expanding their R&D without missing a beat.
The future of data-driven operations
Remote monitoring sets a new standard in the biopharmaceutical industry. The trend toward proactive, data-driven operations will only grow as companies see the benefits of faster response times, empowered teams, and continuous improvement.
For organizations looking to maintain their resilience, remote monitoring isn't just a safety net – it's a pathway to smarter, more efficient operations. The future of biopharma will be shaped by companies that harness the power of real-time data to optimize their processes, prevent downtime, and empower their teams to solve problems faster than ever before.
The OptiRun™ Connect remote monitoring system from Cytiva reduces response times to an average of 30 minutes, with full issue resolution typically achieved within hours rather than days, considerably reducing potential downtime.