SCALLOG’s robotics solution, a lever for the flexibility of MGA MedTech’s new 4.0 factory

Designed to meet the challenge of reindustrializing the French advanced medical technology sector, MGA MedTech’s new factory, resolutely innovative, sustainable and agile, is currently deploying the SCALLOG robotic solution to automate its preparation workflows for the production kits of tomorrow’s medical devices and biotherapy equipment!

Born in October 2022 from the partnership between an industrialist, MGA Technologies, the French leader in “custom-made” cleanroom machines, and a start-up, Stilla Technologies, an expert in precision genetic analysis, MGA MedTech is positioned as the CDMO (Contract Development Manufacturing Organisations)  partner of the French Medtech ecosystem, from start-ups to large pharmaceutical groups, to accelerate the industrialization of their innovations, by optimizing “R&D and production times”. In order to cover the entire value chain, MGA MedTech, in addition to its R&D center, has just acquired a 4,000 m² production plant in January 2024 at the cutting edge of the Industry of the Future, located in Mably (42) on the outskirts of Roanne. It is dedicated to the development and production of intelligent mechatronic medical devices, in vitro analysis instruments and process equipment for advanced therapy drugs (ATMPs) in personalized medicine. At the heart of the factory’s flexible, automated and digitalized production islands, MGA MedTech will rely on the SCALLOG Goods To Person robotic solution from April 2024 to optimize kit preparations for the mass production of the new generation of Stilla Technologies’ precision genetic analysis PCR system!

Dominique Ravot, Chief Operating Officer of MGA Technologies, tells us: “This 4.0 factory, natively digitized and decarbonized, is aimed at all French players who wish to delegate and accelerate the industrialization of their medical devices dedicated to cell or gene therapy. Modular and connected, it exploits the potential of the best in innovation, such as the digitalization of DMR/DHR and SCALLOG robotics, while relying on an unrivalled pool of expertise from ex Bio-Rad, for ever greater agility, performance and competitiveness in the service of reindustrialization. With this new production tool, supported by many industrial talents, MGA MedTech is expected to generate €16 million in turnover over the next 5 years. »

Robotization of physical flows for agility and flexibility in production!

As part of this 4.0 factory, which represents an investment budget of around €10 million, MGA MedTech is carrying out five key projects from the summer of 2023 – the construction of a new carbon-positive building, the deployment of a new ERP, the end-to-end digitization of information flows, the obtaining of ISO 13485 certification and the automation of physical flows in the factory. As such, MedTech wants to automate, in an agile and flexible way, the storage of spare parts and the preparation of kits so that production operators can focus on their real added value, the adjustment and control of equipment. Flexibility in storage and preparation is a sine qua non for MGA MedTech; The technological response chosen must be able to handle a wide variety of parts and adapt to the production cycle broken down into three key stages: prototype, pre-series and series. Another constraint is that the solution must be operational by spring 2024, when production of the first series of Stilla Technologies is launched.

To meet these challenges within the given deadlines, MGA MedTech selected in August 2023 two Goods to Person systems, a Vertical Lift Module (VLM) to optimize the storage per m² of spare parts, while securing them, and the SCALLOG robotic solution to gain flexibility in the preparation of production kits. Dominique Ravot, explains the reasons for his choice: “In addition to meeting our needs for agility and productivity in the preparation of kits, the SCALLOG solution has distinguished itself from its competitors, by its 100% Made in France approach, from design to production. We are committed to favouring French technological sectors, which are a guarantee of local quality and know-how. Proof of this is the fact that 90% of the suppliers of MGA Technologies, a pioneer of the French Lab, are French. »

The SCALLOG robotic solution consists of 73 shelves transported by 3 robots to a preparation station. Installed in January 2024, it will be in production and interfaced with the new LXP CISA ERP in March 2024. From this date, the operator, at the preparation station, will be able to collect and produce the manufacturing kits, in complete reliability and agility; the SCALLOG solution will support them at all stages and will manage the tracking of batch numbers. It provided the operator with a space and working conditions favourable to his well-being and de facto to his operational performance, freeing him from incessant travel, a noisy environment and a high mental load in order to maintain the expected pace and quality. In the coming weeks, MGA MedTech plans to robotize transfers between the logistics and production areas.

Dominique Ravot adds : “Throughout our discussions with SCALLOG, from the negotiation to the signing and the project, we appreciated its way of working, which favours three key values: collective intelligence, respect and collaboration.” Rémi Badaroux, International Business Manager at SCALLOG, concludes: “This new project with MGA MedTech demonstrates the relevance of our Goods to Person robotics solution as a vector of innovation to meet the operational challenges of Industry 4.0”