Around 40 guests from Europe and Asia attended the recent Open Day at Romaco Innojet, a leading supplier of processing technologies based in Steinen (Germany). In addition to live demonstrations in the laboratory as well as practical presentations in the assembly workshop, the agenda also included a talk by company founder Dr. h. c. Herbert Hüttlin. His inventions continue to form the basis of Romaco Innojet’s fluid bed technologies to this day.
This year’s open day at Romaco Innojet attracted some 40 visitors to the processing technology manufacturer’s facility in the south-west German town of Steinen. They travelled from nine different countries, mostly in Europe, but also from Turkey, Israel and Bangladesh. The content revolved around processes for granulating, drying and coating fine solid particles in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and chemical industries. During the morning session, the participants were divided into small groups and given a tour of the laboratory, the training centre and the assembly workshop.
Peek behind the scenes
The facelifted assembly workshop provided the venue for Romaco Innojet to present a selection from its product portfolio, including two fluid bed processors from the Innojet VENTILUS® family designed for production-scale applications as well as an Innojet IGL granulation line consisting of a high shear mixer and fluid bed dryer. The newly extended workshop offers ample space for the assembly of several large systems with a capacity of up to 1500 litres. The peripheral modules for ventilation and air conditioning were relocated to a neighboring building in this connection.
Focus on sustainability
The visit to the training centre enabled interesting insights into current development projects at Romaco Innojet. As part of its sustainability initiative, the company has introduced various measures to save energy and raw materials. The manufacturer’s innovative heat recovery systems – available optionally with an integrated heat pump or with a cross-flow heat exchanger – reduce heat energy consumption by up to 70 percent, depending on the product and the process. Innojet also took advantage to show its latest nozzle technology named FLEXIJET. This robust bottom spray nozzle was specifically developed for granulation processes and is very easy to operate and maintain.
Laboratory trials at InnoTech
At the InnoTech laboratory, an array of product development scenarios were simulated in live demonstrations and the advantages of the VENTILUS® technology for upscaling explained. The cylindrical product container with its central nozzle is perfect for conducting scale-up trials. And with their precisely controllable flow conditions, Romaco Innojet’s fluid bed processors are equally suitable for hot melt applications, as the visitors in Steinen were able to see for themselves. Hot melt coating shortens processing times by up to 85 percent and significantly improves the carbon footprint of the products manufactured.
Afternoon session with company founder Dr. h. c. Herbert Hüttlin
In the early afternoon, Gunther Braun, mayor of Steinen, joined the guests for a brief account by company founder Dr. h. c. Herbert Hüttlin of how the air flow bed technology came into being. As a systematic enhancement to classic fluid bed units, it forms the basis for all technologies developed by Romaco Innojet.
Herbert Hüttlin, now aged 81, formally opened the afternoon session with a talk about his life’s work. Over the course of his long career, he has received numerous awards and honours for his diverse groundbreaking inventions, including the Dr. Rudolf Eberle Prize, the Innovation Award of the state of Baden-Württemberg, in 1993. Well over 170 patents – which remain the key to Innojet’s success to this day – have laid the foundation for the manufacturer’s reputation as an innovation leader for highly efficient processing solutions.
Next on the agenda were more presentations on the latest tableting technology from Romaco Kilian and the highly automated tablet coaters from Romaco Tecpharm. The official part of the event wound up with a tribute to the first ever buyer of a fluid bed processor built by Romaco Innojet. Ever since its delivery to the Arafarma Group, S.A. back in 2003, that VENTILUS® V-200 has been in operation at the Spanish pharmaceutical and food supplements manufacturer. In the meantime, more than 200 Romaco Innojet systems are in use worldwide.
Thumbs up from Innojet Managing Director Thomas Merle
“We were able to give our international guests a broad insight into both our portfolio and our work in the lab. That was a top priority for us because we cooperate very closely with clients in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and chemical industries, especially when it comes to formulation and product development,” said Thomas Merle, Managing Director of Romaco Innojet, when asked for his evaluation of the open day.
“That’s also why I was very keen to present our technological advances and the steps taken to modernise our business unit to our partners. We recently invested in the extension of our assembly workshop with the aim of creating new production capacity. This will allow us to optimise our lead times and vastly improve our efficiency. The effects are already reflected in our sales figures, which we almost doubled in the last fiscal year.”
