In mid-October the time had come: After eleven months of project time a German manufacturer of generic products has successfully accepted the FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) of the QbCon WG - a continuous wet granulator and dryer.
"The new unit allows a throughput of 25 kg/h per hour and is designed for continuous production", reports Tim Remmert, Managing Director of L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH. "This means that the unit can produce without interruption and generate a high throughput" continues Remmert.
The proportion of continuously operating systems in pharmaceutical production is currently still low, with production running mainly in classic batch or batch production. In recent years, however, the demand for continuously operating systems has increased immensely.
"With our various solutions for continuous dry and wet granulation as well as continuous drying and tablet coating, we are top of the market", states Thorsten Wesselmann (Managing Director) as he emphasises the exceptional position of the Ennigerloh-based technology company. "In addition to the individual components, our solutions for the production of coated tablets via dry or wet granulation or direct compression offer cutting-edge technology", Wesselmann continues.
The recently accepted QbCon WG system revolutionises pharmaceutical technology. "The dryer has been successfully patented," Remmert proudly states. With this innovation, we are far ahead of our competitors, as we are the only supplier that can implement a truly continuous process. The competitors can only produce in sub-batches and often have problems with blocked (clogged) filters," continues Remmert.
The development and production of this completely new plant was also a challenge for L.B. Bohle: not only in defining the requirements , but also how the time frame from conception to completion was very demanding for the Bohle team. "Once again, we have proven that we can solve complex challenges with know-how and outstanding team performance", Thorsten Wesselmann emphasises the combination of knowledge and cooperation. "Our customer has always emphasised that our project team and their competence was an important factor in the procurement".
Bohle’s continuous production line will soon be installed at its new production site in Germany. Production of analgesics is scheduled to start on QbCon WG in the 1st quarter of 2021.
