International pharma specialists meet at Bosch

Caption: Pharmatag 2016: international symposium in Crailsheim, Germany On the second day, several lectures about unusual projects, current challenges and future trends as well as a podium discussion addressing quality, flexibility and industry 4.0 in pharmaceutical manufacturing complemented the program.

Representatives of AbbVie, Eli Lilly, NNE Pharmaplan, Roche Diagnostics and Vetter Pharma reported on unusual projects, current challenges and future trends, such as filling of highly potent pharmaceuticals and innovative approaches for the development of parenteral dosage forms.

Focus on pharmaceutical line competence

On day one, the guests of Pharmatag had the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the Crailsheim production facility and to receive first-hand information about Bosch's pharmaceutical line competence as well as current portfolio expansions. A special highlight was the launch of the new ALF 5000 filling and closing machine for ampoules and injection bottles. Apart from an output of 600 containers per minute, the machine features high flexibility and process safety.

The second day with lectures and a podium discussion was opened by Friedbert Klefenz, President of Bosch Packaging Technology. In his key note speech, Prof. Thomas Bauernhansl, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, and the Institute of Industrial Manufacturing and Management at the University of Stuttgart, gave insights into the opportunities of industry 4.0, as well as an outlook on the future of pharmaceutical production.

Representatives of AbbVie, Eli Lilly, NNE Pharmaplan, Roche Diagnostics and Vetter Pharma reported on unusual projects, current challenges and future trends, such as filling of highly potent pharmaceuticals and innovative approaches for the development of parenteral dosage forms. The subsequent podium discussion addressed quality, flexibility and industry 4.0 in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Claudia Petersen, Global Director Business Development at Gerresheimer, led through the program.

CPI software for connected serialization

Apart from numerous filling machines and lines for liquid pharmaceuticals, the participants also received information about exterior washing of vials and ampoules (RAN 3080), the combination of visual inspection technology and leak detection (AIM 3000), matching downstream equipment (RIL 3010), as well as special customer projects. Secondary packaging and serialization solutions completed the presentation of Bosch's pharmaceutical line competence.

Moreover, Bosch showcased further industry 4.0 application possibilities for the pharmaceutical industry. Combined with the CPI software from Bosch, Track & Trace solutions can be integrated into the company IT in a multi-level process. This way, manufacturers are not only able to process the entire order management; they also control both import and export of the serial numbers. All relevant data is available in the company network and can be transferred to regulatory or company-owned databases according to regulatory requirements.

A further important part of Bosch's line competence consists in after-sales services, which support customers in flexibly adapting their existing equipment to future market requirements.

General manager Joachim Brenner was satisfied with the outcome of Pharmatag 2016: “Not long ago, we hosted the Meet & Match event of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, and for the last two days we welcomed representatives of the leading international pharmaceutical companies. This shows the importance of the Bosch Packaging Technology site in Crailsheim for the industry — regionally and internationally.”