Honeywell controls manufacturing processes at Shire's $250m biotech site

Shire Human Genetic Therapies (HGT), a manufacturer of therapies for life-threatening genetic diseases, will use several Honeywell systems to control manufacturing processes at its new US$250m (Euro 196m) production facility in Lexington, Massachusetts.

The new facility is scheduled for completion in spring 2010 and will be the largest disposable biotechnology site in the US. Here disposable vessels and tank liners are used to reduce the cost of cleaning and verification of process equipment. The site will also include cell-culture production, a clinical suite, and just-in-time warehousing.

"Technology that simplifies scale-up from r&d to commercialised production is critical for biotech facilities to produce as efficiently and reliably as possible," said Don Wuchterl, director of manufacturing at Shire HGT.

The company has installed several Honeywell products, including Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), Experion Batch Manager, the OneWireless industrial wireless network and the Uniformance Process Historian Database (PHD)

Shire will use Experion as the primary control platform for the new facility. The system integrates critical subsystems throughout the plant, providing a single view into the manufacturing process via Experion client operator stations. The processing capacity of the C300 controller will reduce the amount of hardware needed to automate Shire's manufacturing process, as well as operating costs.

"Our technology enables lower production costs so biopharmaceutical producers like Shire can reinvest in research and development and deliver products to market faster," said Don Maness, regional general manager for Honeywell Process Solutions.