Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals improves batch automation with Experion PKS.
Commencing operations in 1994, Orchid has emerged among the top 15 companies in the Indian pharmaceutical industry with more than 3700 employees. It is a globally recognised, integrated pharmaceutical company with core competencies in the development and manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms as well as in drug discovery. From inception, Orchid has been investing aggressively in establishing modern research and manufacturing facilities aimed at global markets, and has established an end-to-end connected infrastructure for drug discovery and development.
The challenge
Orchid’s API complex in Aurangabad near Mumbai provides multitherapeutic product offerings comprising high-end betalactams, carbapenems and non-penicillin, non-cephalosporin APIs. Spanning 100 000 m³, this facility is a world-class manufacturing complex that can handle complex synthesis and reactions with the highest levels of safety and productivity.
The company needed a control system to monitor and manage all production processes, from product batch to individual processes like solvent addition, pH addition and distillation, as well as all necessary utility and HVAC systems.
“We have 46 reactors and 15 different types of solvents, so the big challenge was adding specific solvent to a specific reactor,” said R.P. Ratolikar, senior manager, instrumentation at Orchid. “We had to find a way to overcome a variety of automation challenges including complex logic implementation, extended controller memory, short execution cycles for critical functions and running the plants 24-7 through the control system with high levels of safety and reliability.
“We were faced with very stringent requirements and factors such as application complexity and an aggressive timetable to gain production capacity. We decided Honeywell’s Experion system was the right platform to help us meet these demands.”
Solution and benefits
Orchid selected Experion C300 for its advanced technology, robust software and monitoring, built-in redundancy, ability to integrate with MES systems, full validation support, competitive price and Honeywell’s project execution skills.
“Our decision to go with Experion was based on finding a solution that could meet specific automation requirements such as multifaceted execution, high availability and data collection and preservation that met manufacturing and other requirements. At the same time we also had to get products out on schedule,” said V.S. Padalkar, vice president, projects and engineering at Orchid. “We selected Honeywell because it was the best technical solution for us and because of its strong project execution skills and support.”
According to Orchid the decision manifested itself in benefits such as:
* Fast commissioning and start-up of the facility supported by enhanced diagnostic features.
* Support of paperless plant operations, data collection and storage, secure system access, electronic signatures and a full, real-time integration of plant processes.
* Scalable system architecture that maintained high system performance.
* Easy configuration of continuous and batch control to add new products and technology units to the plant.
* Fast application development and verification supported by extended simulation features of the system.
“Complete automation in batch operations is always a challenge. Our plant has even more challenges with unique requirements for multiproduct production and safety. We have been able to overcome these because of our strong in-house project capabilities supported with a superior technical solution from Honeywell. Honeywell met our expectations of the highest level of safety which in turn has resulted in a stable, safe and reliable manufacturing process,” concludes Padalkar.
For more information contact Debbie Rae, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, hsa@honeywell.com, www.honeywell.co.za
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