3 ways pharma’s can increase efficiency with low temperature chillers

Pharmaceutical manufacturers face a rising threat to their productivity.

Temperature and humidity play a critical role in the production, regulation and stability of medicines and vaccines. But energy costs are escalating out of control. And installing new, energy-efficient equipment is excessively expensive with the longest lead times the industry has ever seen.

In other words, efficient climate control is an absolute must for pharmaceuticals. But that comes at a very high cost. And it will only cost more.

So, what can pharmaceutical manufacturers do?

With a strategic approach built around low temperature chillers, manufacturers can save time, money and energy — and minimize the impact of the expensive trends affecting the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

Here are three ways pharmaceutical manufacturers can improve efficiency, maintain continuity and reduce capital expenditure with low temperature chillers.

Temporarily deploy low temperature chillers to improve production efficiency

Consider all the elements of pharma production affected by temperature and humidity:

• Strict regulations mean certain pharmaceutical products require specific climate requirements, even varying within the same facility
• Processes such as Reactor Batch cooling that require ultra-low temp cooling for proper molecular stabilization.
• Some medicines, vaccines and cultures must be safely stored during relocation, expansion or swap out
• Chemical and raw materials may lose potency or efficacy if temperature and/or humidity fall out of range
• Weather and changing seasons can impact machinery and the materials used to maintain them.
• Research and cultures go to waste if they fail to meet compliance

And while each and every factor is important, your products have the most immediate impact on your operation. Even a difference of a couple of degrees can push a product out of compliance, costing you valuable product, time lost and revenue.

As the saying goes, “as you lose the crop, you lose the farm.”

But even though your products should be your first priority, losing sight on the other factors can do just as much — or more — damage to your operation.

Therefore, your cold chain must be able to balance three seemingly incompatible needs:

1. Constant temperature and humidity standards for key products and materials
2. Managing a wide range of variables impacting temperature and humidity
3. Meeting the different temperature and humidity standards for every factor

Sounds like a struggle? Not necessarily.

Temporarily installing low temperature chillers on an as-needed basis helps you solve all three needs at once.

Instead of investing in a set amount of permanent low temperature chillers and manually managing their usage, this approach helps you efficiently adapt to each standard and variable without disrupting your cold chain or overall production.

And because you’re matching machinery to the cadence of your production schedule, you can avoid unnecessary maintenance and energy expenses while increasing efficiency.

Low temperature chiller systems maintain stability during swap outs

Swap outs are a vulnerable time. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a delicate, precise process. And even brief exposure to suboptimal conditions can compromise a product.

The risk of problems caused by temperature are virtually immediate. Meaning swap outs are often synonymous with shutdowns.

However, pharma’s can reduce product loss and downtime by installing a supplemental low temperature chiller system. This helps the manufacturer maintain control over temperature levels and other strict parameters, minimize the risk of full or partial shutdown and protect productivity.

And with the right engineering on your side, your supplemental low temperature chiller system can also help you meet energy and cost savings during the swap out.

For example, we helped GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) keep their Rixensart, Belgium vaccine production site in full working order during a swap out by engineering an efficient low temperature chiller system.

Our process engineers developed a cascading system that allowed GSK to control the systems power within a 50 kW range, helping them fully power their system’s six low temperature chillers — and alert system should temperatures fall out of range — without wasting excess power.

Helping GSK optimize energy usage while maintaining continuity during the swap out.

Outsource to a contract manufacturing organization with chillers

The U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent $1 billion on energy in 2018. And costs are rising.

As more companies look to reduce energy costs, improved efficiency from HVAC systems are often in their sights. It’s no wonder demand is on the up for low temperature chillers.

Unfortunately, an investment into new low temperature chillers can be a hefty expense.

And for some companies, the investment may cost more money than one would save. Instead of investing in low temperature chillers yourself, it may be more cost-effective to outsource production to a contract manufacturing organization (CMO).

CMOs, especially those strategically implementing low temperature chillers, are well equipped to manage temperature and humidity levels on your behalf. And as they adopt services like Aggreko to optimize their own operations — and as the growing need in the market creates more competition — pharmas may see significant cost savings.

Not only does this help pharmas decrease energy costs and avoid a significant and potentially unfavorable CAPEX situation, it frees capital for companies to reinvest in R&D and increase their value in the marketplace. Some companies may find this their best route.

Final thoughts

Low temperature chillers are one of the most powerful tools for temperature control in a pharmaceutical company’s arsenal. And with the right approach for your business, you can utilize them to your advantage easily and rapidly. Whether you’re optimizing operations, protecting your existing product during a swap out, or outsourcing production.

At Aggreko, our process engineers design low temperature chiller systems to help pharmaceutical manufacturers increase energy efficiency and decrease energy costs without disrupting operations. We’ve helped leading companies in the sector worldwide balance product safety, productivity and profitability.

Find out more about our solutions for the pharmaceutical sector