Roche and Zeton have taken the next step in the realization of modular continuous processing. The Modular Pilot Plant for continuous chemical production of pharmaceuticals installed 2 years ago at Roche in Basel (CH) has been further expanded this year using Zeton’s ContiUnity® platform; “Continuous production of a high-quality product with smart modules that work together in Unity.”
The adventure started about 3 years ago. Roche and Zeton worked closely together to design and build a modular production platform for continuous processing. The novelty of this project was the introduction of a very high degree of reconfigurability into a modular concept both in the hardware and the digital layers.
The project started with a Basic Design Study in which the scope was further elaborated. Points of attention included the limited footprint at site and the possible future integration into the customer’s existing batch infrastructure. Zeton has been of great added value by offering solutions based on their previous project experience combined with their expertise in pilot plant design.
This year, the existing module portfolio has been expanded with two additional module types. By incrementally adding new modules, Roche can quickly and easily transform and expand the existing line for a new process. The ContiUnity® modules are designed as building blocks, which can be used within multiple projects in different locations, providing sustainable and value-retaining solutions.
