Faster, smarter production

加速藥物生產

Pfizer transformed tablet and capsule production with continuous manufacturing, automation, and digitalization. The result is faster production, greater flexibility, consistent quality, and improved supply for patients worldwide.

From data to better medicines

Medications from Pfizer, urgently needed to help people get healthy and enjoy a good quality of life, must be continuously available to patients worldwide in consistent quality. To ensure this is the case, Pfizer is further automating and digitalizing the production of tablets and capsules at its Freiburg site.

“We are making good progress toward Industrie 4.0,” says Michael Becker, who heads Global Engineering at Pfizer in Germany. Without digitalization the current project would not have been possible.

At the production facility in Freiburg, data is recorded and analyzed at billions of points every millisecond. The data is used by the control system, which makes it possible to respond directly to the measurement results. “Quality is measured continuously, and the control system responds directly,” comments Becker. No more testing in the lab, and no need even for sampling. Everything runs automatically.

Pfizer transformed tablet and capsule production with continuous manufacturing, automation, and digitalization.

With a new automation and digitalization solution, Pfizer is aiming for continuous, fast, and flexible tablet manufacture.

Close to the “dream of every pharmacist”

Becker describes the dream of every pharmacist like this: “You put in all the ingredients at the start of the process, and out comes a finished capsule at the end.” With Continuous Manufacturing Technology (CMT), Pfizer is a little closer to making that dream a reality. The food and beverage industry led the way, and employees at Pfizer in Groton, Connecticut, USA, developed continuous manufacturing technology on that basis. CMT is now being introduced around the world, including in Freiburg.It makes production much faster and more flexible. In recent years, Becker has noticed that demand for medications is fluctuating more and more. Pfizer’s Freiburg location used to need up to four months to adjust to changes in volume. “But thanks to CMT, we now can just make a small adjustment in order for the plant to run faster or slower,” says Becker. “In other words, you can adapt to a new market situation in a matter of minutes.”

MES as the central element

The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) assumes a key role in the IT and automation project for Pfizer’s manufacturing facility in Freiburg: It forms the link between the process control system and the Electronic Batch Record (EBR) system that documents production electronically, manages all of the equipment and the process chains, and integrates all higher and lower-level systems to form an end-to-end solution for data recording and processing.

The automation solution is based on Simatic IT. To control the new plant units, the project team used powerful, high-availability Simatic S7 controllers and a Simatic WinCC SCADA system to visualize the processes. In addition to the shelf servicing unit in the high-rack store, which uses a Simatic S7-1500 as its head PLC, a vertical conveyor was also incorporated in the new MES solution to supply the equipment on the first and second floors with bulk and granulate containers. The individual systems work together seamlessly and enable the processes to function smoothly.

Robotic arm on an automated production line.

優化物流

當輝瑞決定透過新建的連續生產廠房來擴大產能時，也要求物料輸送與生產控制系統必須建構在統一的平台上。這意味著必須將眾多生產階段，以及配備 120 個大袋儲存位的貨架服務單元，整合至自動化物料輸送系統與製程自動化系統之中。用於連續製造的新廠房還配備了用於連續稱重與生產的自動化系統，以及電子製程記錄系統。

環境也是受益者之一

「輝瑞始終將環境因素納入考量」，Becker 表示，「我們採取端到端的視角，並盡可能在製程中導入環保系統。」僅在此專案中，透過卡車運輸原料的次數便減少了近 50%。太陽能熱系統負責乾燥生產所需的空氣，整棟建築的照明皆採用 LED 燈，且製程產生的熱能與冷卻能量均被回收利用。

在德國這個高薪資國家工作

Becker 經常被問到的一個問題是：在德國這樣的高薪資國家，投資自動化與數位化生產設施是否值得。「德國是一個教育水平極高的國家」，他指出，「我們的員工具備極高的專業素養，不僅能操作自動化系統，更能理解其運作原理。因此，只要實現高程度的自動化，我們在這裡的生產效率可以與薪資成本較低的國家相媲美——甚至可能更高。」

The environment is also one of the winners

“Pfizer always considers the environment,” says Becker. “We adopt an end-to-end view and try to include environmentally friendly systems in our processes as much as possible.” In this project alone, the transportation of raw materials by truck was cut by almost 50 percent. Solar thermal systems dry the air needed for production, LEDs provide lighting throughout the building, and the heat and cooling resulting from processes is recovered.

Working in Germany as a high-wage country

One question Becker is regularly asked is whether it’s worthwhile to invest in automated and digitalized production in a high-wage country like Germany. “Germany is a highly educated country,” he observes. “Our employees are very well qualified to operate and also to understand automated systems. And thus, with a high level of automation in place, we can manufacture just as efficiently here as in a country with lower wage costs – perhaps even more so.”

效率大幅提升

憑藉全新的自動化與數位化解決方案，輝瑞現可持續監控其弗萊堡廠區的所有製程，從而進一步提升品質標準。這些製程較以往更具彈性，更能適應當前的需求。數位化製程管理與文件記錄亦提供了寶貴資訊，有助於持續提升弗萊堡廠區的生產效率。透過製程資料，可運用製程導向的指標，即時驗證製程與產品品質，並評估廠區運作效能。因此，藥物能更迅速地獲得核准與放行。更進一步而言，這也意味著可對不同據點的技術與製程進行分析與相互比較——這對一家跨國公司而言至關重要。此外，新產品與製程也能透過協作共同開發，並推動其達到市場成熟階段。

為患者保障藥物的順暢生產

弗萊堡廠區生產的錠劑和膠囊用於治療患者的癌症、疼痛及心臟疾病。Becker 指出：「我們始終銘記於心：生產的目的是為了服務患者，而非僅僅為了技術或任何組織本身。」正因如此，品質是他最優先考量的事項，其次則是供應安全。「絕不能讓任何患者因等待我們的產品而受苦。」2018 年 4 月

Gloved hand sorting red and white capsules on a tray.

Smooth production for patients

The tablets and capsules from Freiburg are used for treating cancer, pain, and heart ailments in patients. “We always have in the back of our minds that production is there to serve the patients, and is not just for the sake of the technology or any organization,” Becker notes. That is why quality is his top priority, followed by security of supply. “No patient should be left waiting for any of our products.” April 2018