Efficient pharmaceutical production with AI and modular design

The chemical production of medicines remains a cornerstone of modern medicine. In order to meet the growing demand and avoid bottlenecks, Bayer is investing in a new building for drug production in Leverkusen. However, “Solida 1” is also set to set new standards in automation and digitalization – and even learn from the processes independently thanks to AI.

Written by Marius Schaub

In the production room of the pharmaceutical plant, various systems and machines made of stainless steel and robots can be seen, employees inspect the components — The production room in the pharmaceutical plant Solida 1 is designed as a “ballroom”, a flexible and open production environment with a high degree of automation.

When the German Chancellor arrives for the topping-out ceremony, you know that a building is special. In the case of Bayer's factory, however, a glance at the costs is enough to make this realization: the pharmaceutical giant is spending EUR 275 million on new the new plant “Solida 1” for drug production in Leverkusen, Germany. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2026, around five years after the start of construction.

With the new building, Bayer is initially creating new capacities for the production of medicines for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. These are being built specifically in Europe, as the stress tests for supply chains in recent years have shown how important regional availability has become in times of deglobalization trends. Solida 1 is therefore just one of several projects that are part of a multi-billion euro investment program by Bayer to strengthen the production network for solid pharmaceuticals.

A factory that learns

However, the pharmaceutical giant also wants to strengthen its innovative power. Solida 1 will make a significant contribution to this: as a “learning factory”, the plant will set “standards for efficiency, quality, delivery reliability and sustainability”, according to Bayer and its project partner Siemens. It goes without saying that artificial intelligence is now an integral part of this. AI will analyze data streams across all production steps and derive recommendations for action.

In Leverkusen, these data streams will also flow from information that is particularly valuable in batch production. Process automation, which is based on the Sipat software from Siemens, monitors numerous process steps in real time during production by automatically taking samples and analyzing them. This means no more lost batches - instead, quality can be optimized during production.

Glatt also made a significant contribution to the process automation of Solida 1. As a system integrator, the plant manufacturer and engineering service provider was already involved in the concept phase. During the construction phase, Glatt was responsible for the delivery, installation and commissioning of systems and also for the process equipment from other suppliers.

The overall project manager from Siemens stands in the technical area of Bayer’s pharmaceutical production plant Solida 1 — In the technical area above the production rooms of the new site: Dieter Steffes-Tun, overall project manager at Siemens

Automation and digitalization also play an important role outside of primary processes in the pursuit of the most efficient processes possible – especially when it comes to building management systems. In addition to "basics" such as permanent monitoring and documentation of the room climate, it enables the production environment to be flexibly adapted depending on the medicine to be manufactured. In addition to numerous automation components, the central building management platform also controls ventilation systems, heating, cooling and steam technology. Analysis data from sensors and data points is used to detect irregularities, on the basis of which the system can derive recommendations for action.

“The end-to-end automation of processes will greatly increase the flexibility of pharmaceutical production in Leverkusen in the future”, says Stephan Drouvé from Siemens. He sees automation and digitalization as an important key to the competitiveness of industrial production in Germany.

Future-proof through modularization

In addition to the high degree of automation and digitalization of the system, Bayer is also proud of the high degree of modularization. Solida 1 comprises

a central module for the fully automated, robot-assisted production of tablets in batch or semi-continuous processes
a development module for material, personnel and media supply and disposal
a module with central media connection, workshop and spare parts
a warehouse with a high-bay warehouse and separate weighing areas
a service module with laboratories, central changing rooms, offices and meeting rooms

The highlight: all modules are connected by interfaces that make it possible to convert or expand one module while the others remain in operation. This increases flexibility enormously. This construction and production method will also make it much easier for Bayer to plan and implement expansions in the future.

At the same time, the pharmaceutical company is doing away with the usual walls in production: the so-called ballroom concept stands for a flexible and open production environment in which mobile, modular production systems are used within a large cleanroom. It differs from traditional cleanroom concepts, in which individual production steps take place in separate, permanently installed cleanrooms.

Energy-efficient and resource-saving

From the outset, Bayer and the project partners have attached great importance to ensuring that production in Solida 1 is not only efficient, but also sustainable. The sensor-based control of the ventilation, heating, cooling and steam technology is designed to ensure that only as much energy and resources are consumed as necessary. Any waste heat generated is used, and the plant's energy requirements are also expected to be largely covered by a geothermal system during regular operation. This should reduce the CO₂ footprint of Solida 1 by up to 70 percent compared to other production facilities.

“Solida 1 will help to improve the lives of patients in the long term”, predicts Jürgen Wiedemann, one of the two project managers at Bayer. For example, the results of scientific research could be translated into products more quickly. Around 100 employees will produce and conduct research on a gross floor area of 15,000 square meters.

Author

Marius Schaub