Boehringer Ingelheim opens smart factory
High-tech tablet production facility will further speed the market launch of innovative drugs
Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President Malu Dreyer was on hand as Boehringer Ingelheim opened a new tablet production facility in Ingelheim. Starting immediately, the Solids Launch Factory will manufacture all the company’s new drugs introduced in tablet form (solids). The facility will employ around 75 workers. Total investments in the plant amount to EUR 90 million.
“The Solids Launch Factory is further evidence of how we are modernizing production in Germany,” explains Sabine Nikolaus, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Country Managing Director for Germany. “The Ingelheim site is synonymous with the production of drugs with highly complex manufacturing technologies. The new tablet production facility will play a key role in bringing innovative drugs to the global marketplace.”
“As a smart factory, this new plant combines both digitalization and sustainability as key drivers of innovation,” said Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President Malu Dreyer. “This is yet another example of Boehringer Ingelheim’s role as a center for progress, innovation, and sustainable development. Extraordinary contributions are being made here in Ingelheim to improve people’s health and quality of life. For the state government, Boehringer Ingelheim is a central partner in our aim to make Rhineland-Palatinate a leading location for biotechnology.”
The Solids Launch Factory stands apart from the rest because it has been built to be a smart factory: All machines and equipment are fully networked, and almost all the processes are autonomous, which allows the new facility to respond automatically to changes in production data, quality parameters, and environmental conditions.
“We understand what is happening in the plant more quickly and can respond accordingly,” says Dr. Anja Preissman, Head of Human Pharma Supply Germany. “The flexible, digitally-integrated design of the new tablet production facility and its close interconnections with development allow us to bring our new products to market more quickly and efficiently than ever. This is not only a competitive advantage for our company; it also benefits patients worldwide.”
The 2,800 m² Solids Launch Factory consists of three levels: The basement houses utility and storage rooms as well as changing rooms. Additional utility rooms, offices, and social areas are located on the top floor. The ground level houses the centerpiece of the new plant: the production facilities. Two innovative production lines for small and medium batch sizes are available, which can produce tablets for clinical studies and market launches, among other things. A continuous automation concept ensures the facility’s reliable and paperless operation. Highly efficient heat recovery systems for ventilation, air compression, and wastewater ensure reduced CO2 emissions compared to conventional plants.
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