The Brief
Rob Bowen, Facilities Integration’s founder, was a Warwick University research fellow working with then Dean of Engineering, Prof Jonathan Seville and Prof Rajat Roy and Warwick’s partners, GSK, Siemens, Newcastle University, Surrey University, GEA and Sagentia. Rob’s primary role was to develop a factory of the future to support an InnovateUK research programme considering the viability of continuous processing for oral solid dose products. The facility design was based around GEA’s ConsiGma based integrated micro-batch OSD equipment
The Process
The design was based on a 100kg multi-product line principle with a throughput of over 20 product forms annually using clean modular equipment cells, interchangeable dependent on process requirement within a matrix serviced “dancefloor” fed by an automated storage and feed system with a robotic outfeed Kiva Systems (who were subsequently bought by Amazon and removed from the commercial market) outfeed for export to local fill/pack centres. Rob worked with another research fellow in modelling the system using Lanner Witness software to determine the best line format to allow for changeovers, maintenance and line failures. Under Rob’s direction, Fulcro Engineering Services were commissioned to model the final design of the facility and equipment suffient to show the concep in Autodesk Revit and provide a video.
Result
The overall project won the 2012 IChemE Outstanding and Project of the Year Awards.