TRANSFORMING TOMORROW. An interview with Evelien Devroey, Strategic Business Manager, Pharma Solid Dosage at GEA Pharma & Healthcare, about how the company has integrated the concepts of digitalization and modulization to better serve its customers and develop the processes that will shape the future.

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Q: Can you tell me a little about GEA’s journey and what you hope to achieve?

A: We recently announced a plan for the next 5 years that defines certain key pillars that we’ll use as a foundation to accelerate profitable growth. The focus is on sustainability, holistic product innovation and digital solutions, as well as excellence initiatives in sales, service and operations. We’ve also put a central digital organization (CDO) in place to support specific business areas and different parts of our global network. The overall aim is to safeguard future generations and reduce the cost, complexity and timeline of industrial projects with sustainable engineering solutions.

Q: Could you provide a specific example? A: Certainly; one of the collaboration themes that the

digital network organization works on with us is a customer portal. The CDO, above and beyond linking business units and divisions together, also makes a wide range of software resources available and streamlines

the decision-making process in the digital space. The idea is to present one digital image and product to our customers. As opposed to each unit or division developing their own apps and tools, we want to deliver a singular and cohesive message: it’s really easy to get access to the digital tools you need from GEA.

In the future, for example, we’ll offer a single sign-on system for all the digital apps that have been developed in the past (and those in development) to make our processes more user friendly, inclusive and demonstrate to operators exactly what they can expect from GEA in terms of digitalization. This is an absolute top-down priority for us; we’re working with software suppliers to ensure that we’re seen to be less of an equipment vendor and more of a solution provider. We’re also applying the principles of Design Thinking, integrating customer feedback and user experience as part of the development process. In fact, during ACHEMA, we’ll be testing a prototype NexGen Press® customer app on the booth.

Q: How does digitalization work in an industry more familiar with stainless steel?

A: It’s an interesting mix! Working with my colleague, Senior Director of Technology Management, Dr Jim Holman, there have been some fascinating breakthroughs in digital products such as virtual reality (VR). It was one of GEA’s first forays into digitalization and we use it a lot for both training and marketing. Not only did VR provide a solution to many of the issues encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, it brought us closer to our solid dosage customers and provided a springboard for tools such as preventive maintenance, remote testing, 3D plant design and more. Anyone interested should stop by the booth and try it out. We’d welcome their thoughts and feedback! We already offer a VR-based commercial training module for both the GEA Coater and our feeders (you can dis/assemble them) and we’re currently working on one for our new NexGen Press®.

The ever-pressing need for efficient and sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment is a constant driver of creative thinking.

2 An interview with Evelien Devroey.

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Q: Perhaps you could talk some more about the new press? A: This is something that we’ve been developing for the last

few months and exemplifies our approach to digitalization and modularization. By offering one machine with many applications, the NexGen Press® is engineering for future generations. Its modular design means that a spectrum of containment capabilities (from dust-tight to OEB 5) is available on a single platform. It’s also the first press range to be both wash-offline (WOL) and wet-in-place (WIP) compatible to suit a broad array of customer requirements. For example, an entry level machine can be upgraded to meet specific process requirements, such as bilayer tableting, different washing options and/ or to further reduce the risk of cross-contamination, as and when required.

But, even at lower containment levels, the ECM (exchangeable containment module) lowers costs by reducing the area of contamination. And, equipped with energy efficient servo motors and minimizing water use during washing cycles, it’s more planet friendly than before too! To respond to present and future market demands, manufacturers are looking for flexible and multifunctional solutions that can handle both low and high potency active ingredients. This next generation of modular tablet presses will make machine selection easier, facilitate fast product changeovers and deliver price-performance leadership.

We’ve taken the very same approach to the machine’s software. I’ve already mentioned preventive maintenance; we’re putting together a customer portal or app to provide remote access and there’s a whole new look and feel to the human-machine interface (HMI). It’s designed with Industry 4.0 in mind and also provides an interactive

3D model of the tablet press. The operator can navigate their way through the different compartments of the machine and click on individual parts to assess wear- and-tear and/or order spare parts. There are also interactive digital manuals, online project documents, 2D drawings and exploded diagrams; everything you need to automatically generate a quotation request!

Furthermore, each machine features GEA’s most advanced process control system. Designed with the user in mind, the MC5i interface is easy to use, intuitive and highly visual, enabling flawless communication between machine and operator. Created to ensure full data and recipe management, all input parameters are transferable between tablet presses running MC5i. I should add, though, that all the traditional functionalities are still in place, so current users of earlier systems won’t have to start from scratch.

Q: Any final words? A: In a constantly changing world that continues to rely

on pharmaceutical dosage forms for its health and welfare strategies, the need for ever-more efficient and sustainable equipment is a constant driver of creative thinking, which is exactly what GEA stands for. On our stand in Hall 4 (G66), for example, visitors will be able to take a closer look at the recently launched LYOAIR® sustainable cooling system for freeze drying applications, the Digital Canary Atmosphere Monitoring System, which both detects product leaks from contained pharmaceutical production lines and protects the health and safety of operators, and, of course, groundbreaking NexGen Press® compression technology. We look forward to welcoming you to GEA’s better world.

3 An interview with Evelien Devroey.

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