Ensuring Cost-Effective, Class 0 Compressed Air For Critical Applications
• What is the API subsegment of the pharmaceutical industry?
• What API applications require compressed air? Why is air quality so important?
• How to produce consistent, clean, dry air for API applications whilst also preventing equipment issues and downtime…
What is the API Subsegment of the Pharmaceutical Industry?
The API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) subsegment of the pharmaceutical industry is tasked with producing all of the active ingredients that go into pharmaceutical products. Due to them being the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, they are the medical substances responsible for the desired effect they have on those requiring the drugs. The production of APIs actually represents 60% of the total pharmaceutical market, with this figure increasing by 6% per annum. This is because many approaching drug patent expirations are causing big pharmaceutical manufacturers to sub-contract their API needs to CMOs (Contract Manufacturing Organisations).
What API Applications Require Compressed Air? Why is Air Quality so Important?
The production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients requires compressed air at a number of different stages. The main pharmaceutical processes that require compressed air are fermentation, chemical ingredient or tablet production, automated production lines, packaging and bottling, and aseptic applications. Due to most, if not all of these manufacturing processes being contact applications, air purity is vital. This means that any compressed air coming into contact with the pharmaceutical products must be of an incredibly high quality, often Class 0, ISO-certified, and 100% oil-free. Contamination in your air stream can spoil your end products, leading to product wastage, wasted productivity and, most importantly, consumer safety risks. Ensuring air quality is, therefore, paramount for all of your API applications. Ingersoll Rand’s expert oil-free portfolio includes both rotary screw and centrifugal technologies to get the job done!
How to Produce Consistent, Clean, Dry Air For API Applications Whilst Also Preventing Equipment Issues and Downtime…
In conversation with our API and CMO partners, we found out that there are 4 major factors plaguing your operations:
- Contamination and Maintaining Air Quality: Due to the nature of the industry, any pharmaceutical manufacturing plant needs robust quality systems in place to guarantee product quality and compliance with the requirements of regulators.
- Lack of Predictive Maintenance Solutions: CMO’s are often under pressure to reduce their costs, which can be aided by predictive, proactive maintenance before costly downtime occurs.
- Preventing Wastage from Air Leaks: For API CMO’s, this is a way to control and reduce unnecessary costs.
Ensuring Uptime: Pharmaceutical manufacturing plants are often running 24/7, and any unplanned stops can result in a significant loss of production.
In response to our Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients partners, we have devised a foolproof 6-step plan of action to resolve these issues — here’s a preview:
- Air Audits: Did you know that a significant amount of equipment issues and downtime actually stem back to the very foundations of your compressed air system? Optimise your set-up with a comprehensive air audit that identifies inefficiency.
- Leak Assessments: Leaks are incredibly costly and often inevitable, making regular leak assessments vital! Ingersoll Rand can help inform you on how to detect leaks and provide complete leak assessments by a trained engineer.
- Choosing the Right Equipment: While oil-free compressors are typically favoured for their high air purity in the API sector, oil-flooded compressors can be used for less critical applications. Typically, though, we’d recommend oil-free technologies to ensure consistent and optimal air purity!
- An Effective, Reliable Downstream System: This is vital to eliminate contamination from your air stream.
- Proactive Monitoring, Management, and Control: You can become more proactive and keep a better eye on your compressed air system with Ingersoll Rand. This, in turn, enables you to be more efficient and prevents issues from becoming costly downtime.
- Predictive Maintenance, OEM Parts, and Warranties: Ingersoll Rand’s predictive approach to maintenance and investment protection helps reduce costs and maximise uptime.
Interested in partnering with Ingersoll Rand? Please get in touch for more information.