Over the past years, Mespack Athena has established itself as the digital backbone of our machines. It helps operators work more intuitively; maintenance teams act proactively; and production managers make decisions based on real data instead of assumptions.
With every new release, we incorporate customer feedback, industry standards, and real production insights to ensure that Athena evolves exactly where it matters most: improving machine performance, reducing variability, and simplifying daily operations. Today, we would like to introduce the latest set of enhancements, which have been designed to directly elevate your productivity.
1. Centerlining: Formatted Changeovers Made Simpler
Changeovers have always been one of the most sensitive and time‑consuming moments in any packaging machine: not only does every minute count, but every manual adjustment introduces the risk of variability. With the new Centerlining module incorporated into Athena, all mechanical adjustment points required during a format changeover are now:
✔ Digitally documented
✔ Linked to the machine’s recipe
✔ Exportable as a PDF report for SOPs, audits, or internal training
As an alternative to relying on operator memory or handwritten notes, Athena provides a precise digital reference, which ensures that every format is always set the same way, regardless of shift or operator.
Your benefits:
- Faster and more reliable format changes
- Fewer deviations and less startup scrap
- Standardized processes across teams, plants, and shifts
- Digital traceability for quality and continuous improvement
2. New Loggings of Reasons to Stop: Understanding the “Why” Behind Downtime
Knowing that a machine stopped is easy.
Knowing why it stopped is what truly improves your OEE.
Athena is now able to register the specific reasons for an operator stop, including:
- Cleaning
- Changeovers
- Mechanical or electrical issues
- Waiting for operators
- Raw material delays
- Quality approval
- Custom
This new feature transforms downtime from a simple timestamp into an actionable insight, supported by:
- Rankings of the most common reasons to stop.
- Clear distinction between planned and unplanned stops.
- More accurate OEE calculations
Your benefits:
- Identify the real root causes behind performance losses
- Prioritize improvement actions based on data and not assumptions
- Improve coordination between production, maintenance, and quality teams
- Reduce repetitive stops and increase line stability
3. CFR 21 Compliance: Traceability and Security for Pharmaceutical Operations
For customers in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or regulated sectors, Athena now includes full support for 21 CFR Part 11, thus ensuring compliance with FDA requirements. The module includes:
✔ Audit Trail
Every parameter change, user action, login/logout, alarm, or modification is automatically registered with:
- User identity
- Timestamp
- Old and new value
✔ Batch Report
Complete production traceability that includes:
- Speeds
- Temperatures
- Dosing
✔ Alarm Report
A full record of every alarm; when it was triggered and by whom it was cleared.
All reports can be visualized in real time and exported as PDFs.
Your benefits:
- Full regulatory compliance
- Secure and structured digital documentation
- Easier audits with instant exportable reports
- Increased transparency and processing reliability
A Smarter, Evolving Athena Designed Around Your Daily Operations
These latest enhancements continue to build on Athena’s long‑standing mission: to help your teams run packaging operations with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence. With every update, the platform becomes even more aligned with the real challenges operators, supervisors, and plant managers face every day.
Whether your priority is executing faster format changes, improving traceability, or acquiring a deeper understanding of your line’s performance, these newest features ensure that Athena delivers the insights and tools you require when you need them.
Watch the video to learn more: ATHENA VIDEO
