A new revolution for Russian pharma
A leading manufacturer of generic drug products in Russia has a product line of 40 formulations and processes up to 200 million dosage forms per month. Wishing to expand their reach and integrate some 21st century manufacturing technology, they turned to GEA for help.
With a demanding brief that incorporated cost optimization, improved efficiency and increased automation — with an associated reduction in headcount — one of the company’s key drivers was to remain competitive in a dynamic and growing market.
Working on a brownfield installation inside an existing shell, GEA supplied an entire (600 L) non-contained granulation line, including plant for dispensing, material transfers, blending and compression (a large-scale batch coater was obtained from a third-party). Now installed and fully operational, the company has been able to almost triple its throughput capacity from less than 1 billion tablets/year to more than 2.5 billion.
A GEA spokesperson who worked on the project explains: “This represents a massive technological leap for our customer and constitutes a huge change, particularly in terms of training their operators and personnel. It’s been a really interesting undertaking and one of the successes — and one of the challenges as well — is that they are a local family run Russian company that’s trying to make a name for themselves in a busy market; they’re extremely keen to improve their manufacturing processes and the way they make their products.”
“Right now, they’re having a few ‘growing pains’ with implementing and integrating the new system … and we at GEA have felt the repercussions of that. We’ve had to teach them how to operate the equipment to its fullest capacity and get them to understand how to achieve operational excellence with our plant.”
“Yes, there has been some frustration, but the benefits of working together to overcome these issues has been fundamental to reaching a successful conclusion. We’ve engaged in training, provided additional support, etc., and we now feel that the company is in a position to run the machinery without our intervention on an autonomous basis,” adds the GEA representative.
This is a significant milestone for the company; it’s boosted the raison d’être of the entire organization and set a new threshold regarding their position in the industry — and as a competitor to other players in the market. “For me, it’s been a journey … but an exciting one … and, now, as the company realizes its newfound potential, very satisfying.”
The client had never previously been able to manufacture Atorvastatin (cholesterol pills); but, now, thanks to GEA equipment, they can!
“It’s a massive leap into the future for a company that’s been a delight to work with. Yes, they’ve taken some risks, so a future payback and financial reward is very much part of the overall plan, obviously facilitated by the additional capacity and the ability to have a higher profile in both domestic and overseas markets.”
Reviewing the project, one of GEA’s Technical Manager commented that although they’ve been involved with a lot of installations during the past 15 years, they will remember this one for a long time! “When I learn a lot from our customers, it stays in my mind,” she says, adding: “This was a challenging project … but the outstanding collaboration and teamwork enabled us to overcome many hurdles and get three products to market for the customer.”
The client had never previously been able to manufacture Atorvastatin (cholesterol pills); but, now, thanks to GEA equipment, they can! “By bringing our engineering expertise and the customer’s formulation knowledge together, we made it happen. I now know a lot more about the process and standardization,” adds the Technical Manager: “Plus, with hand on heart, I can truly say that both production and safety standards are incredibly high and that patients and end users can be 100% sure that they have the best product in their hands.”
They conclude: “I am very proud that everyone involved was able to contribute their individual problem-solving skills to the project and deliver the best possible product to the market. I would also like to say a big thank you to my GEA peers for such outstanding support during the whole process. Because we all did something unique, we’ve helped to make a better future!”
Customer Story published in 2021
