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Jan 15th, 2025
Single-use vendors in bioprocessing plant design
Proprietors of single-use technology could be perfectly placed to play a leading role in the design and construction of biopharma facilities according to Kurt Gilson, western regional manager at Total Facility Solutions.
His comments come on the back of concerns expressed by a number of leading pharmaceutical companies about the increasing reliance on system vendors in the supply chain.
Mr Gilson, speaking to Biopharma-Reporter.com, downplayed such fears, underscoring greater flexibility and reduced costs as potential upsides if vendors were to play a more central role in the design of bioprocessing facilities.
“The use of disposable or single-use technology is dramatically changing plant design and construction,” he said.
“If the bioprocess manufacturing requirements align with the technology capabilities of the systems vendor, then the detailed design and construction of the plant by a systems vendor does not limit the plant flexibility any more than traditional delivery methods and could offer schedule and cost advantages.”
Back in October 2014, Sartorius Stedim Biotech received an award from the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering for the design of WuXi AppTec bulk cell culture production facility in China.
Even so, Mr Gilson said that in the current climate “few” equipment manufacturers had the “breadth of process technology to deliver complete systems including support utilities and cleanrooms”.
Total Facility Solutions is a subsidiary of engineering firm M+W.
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