CASE STUDY: How Ricoh 3D for Healthcare Uses Real-Time Data to Scale Regulated Additive Manufacturing
- Authentise Team
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
“The question is not can we get it from the API. The question is what’s the most efficient way to get it.”
Overview
Ricoh 3D for Healthcare operates a regulated additive manufacturing network, producing patient-specific medical devices under ISO 13485 certification at the point of care and centralized manufacturing sites.
With decentralised production, distributed QC, and growing order volumes, the company needed more than basic MES functionality.
They needed:
Real-time visibility across manufacturing facilities and point-of-care sites
Controlled handoffs between production and QC
Capacity modeling for expansion decisions
Data-backed executive reporting
KPI tracking in a regulated environment
Challenge
Scaling a regulated, medical manufacturing network without real-time visibility across production, QC, and distributed sites.
Solution
Leveraging Authentise Flows and its APIs to transform daily MES data into live dashboards, automated handoffs, and executive-level performance insights.
Results
Real-time operational control, faster cross-department coordination, data-driven expansion decisions, and measurable improvements in throughput and responsiveness.
in detail
THE CHALLENGE:
Operating a distributed manufacturing network created three core challenges:
1. Decentralized Complexity
Distributed network of manufacturing facilities and point-of-care sites
Different workflows on the same build plate
Decentralized Manufacturing and QC teams
Regulated DHR requirements
2. Lack of Real-Time Cross-Department Visibility
QC performed remotely
Secure logout requirements prevented “always-open” dashboards
Manual tracking slowed handoffs
3. Strategic Capacity Planning
Where should the next facility go?
What is real capacity vs perceived capacity?
Where are bottlenecks occurring?
The Solution
Ricoh 3D for Healthcare leveraged Authentise Flows as a structured data foundation - then used APIs to unlock the full value of that data.
Core Tools Used
Line Item Endpoint
Flat Piece Endpoint
Workflow Endpoint
User Endpoint
Order Endpoint
Flat Order Endpoint
Combined with:
Excel
PowerBI
API query merging
Conditional formatting
Calculated production-time fields
the Results
While specific numbers were simulated in the webinar, the impact themes were clear:
Real-time production visibility across network
Faster QC handoffs
Reduced idle time
Data-driven executive decisions
Scalable expansion modelling
Foundation for automated notifications
Preparation for upstream system integrations
Most importantly:
Conversations shifted from “What’s happening?” to “How do we optimise it?”
WHAT THEY BUILT
GLOBAL PRODUCTION DASHBOARD
Features:
Sorted by due date
Real-time status (production, QC, DHR review)
Direct run links into Flows
Conditional formatting by urgency
Time-in-production thresholds
Assigned user visibility
Impact:
Reduced navigation waste
Clear ownership of tasks
Faster QC handoffs
Capacity & Expansion Modelling
Using order endpoint data in PowerBI:
Geographic heatmaps of order demand
Facility utilization tracking
Capacity modeling using timestamp data
Lean-based variance analysis
This allowed leadership to answer:
"Where should we place the next manufacturing site?"
Not based on instinct - but based on live production data.
KPI Monitoring at Scale
Tracked metrics included:
On-time delivery %
First pass yield
Scrap rate
Rework rate
Response time (order → ship)
Production vs point-of-care output
Example business goal:
Ship within 4 days
Actual average: ~3 days
That is operational proof - not marketing language.
“Daily use of Flows creates a data-rich environment. The APIs are the engine that lets you go wherever you want.”
Ready to unlock the full value of your production data?
Discover how Flows + APIs can transform your additive manufacturing operations.
Comments