Company insight
While a large scale, traditional, biotech greenfield facility might cost between $500m and $1bn to build and get into production, a single-use facility typically ranges from $80m to $200m. And, as less equipment means less installation work, start-up time is faster.
All these demands are creating the need for a more agile and connected approach to production: one where mobile equipment can be easily swapped in and out to make more products with shorter life-cycles, and one where information is used to not only help manage this activity but also make operations more efficient. Today, most facilities aren’t designed for this style of operation. The main culprit? Aging distributed control system (DCS) technology.
The case for a modern DCS Traditional DCS systems are built on proprietary technology. It can be costly and difficult to integrate them with other production and business systems. And that restricts your agility and responsiveness. Traditional DCS systems also often use outdated protocols. These protocols can create a flood of alarms and errors when workers disconnect equipment, making them unsuitable for plug-and-play operations. Some systems do use closed proprietary protocols that allow disconnections, but they can come with complex physical design criteria. A modern, information-enabled DCS addresses these challenges. It uses open, unmodified Ethernet to seamlessly connect equipment. And it uses a common data structure to achieve two-way communications across your organisation and give workers real-time insights in a single, consistent format. A modern DCS can also help manage certain aspects of mobile operations to reduce human error and improve efficiency. For example, it can enable controls only for equipment that is docked in the correct location. It can also support the scanning of materials and other components, so workers can verify they’re being used with the right equipment. When used with single-use equipment and technology, a modern DCS allows you to create more modular, flexible and information-driven operations. This is where the benefits of the facility of the future come to life.
A single-use biopharmaceutical facility is cheaper and more efficient to operate, and start-up time is faster as there is not as much equipment to install.
Greater flexibility
A modular design concept can help you produce smaller batches, better utilise assets and get to market faster. Think of production like a ballroom dance. You have an open area with minimal segregation and no fixed equipment. In this space, mobile equipment and materials all enter and exit based on demand.
Reactors are wheeled into position and connected with disposable tubing. The intermediate can be transferred back into
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a tote and sent into a centrifuge or depth filtration. And downstream, media is hard-piped through ultrafiltration, defiltration and chromatography columns. A modern DCS helps you achieve this ‘dance’ and reduces missteps throughout. For example, mobile mixing tanks and bioreactors can have many possible configurations and connections. A modern DCS can help streamline connecting and disconnecting equipment and provides workers with one interface to manage the process.
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