BEA Technologies CEO reveals ambitious future expansion plans

Milan, Italy: – Roberto Bea, President and CEO of Italian-based filtration specialist BEA Technologies says the company is embracing 4.0 digitally integrated manufacturing technologies as part of an ambitious program of capacity expansion.

Mr. Bea has given an interview that covered every aspect of the company’s business and that was featured on video as part of the BEA Technologies display at the recent PHARMINTECH 2022 expo in Milan.

Pharma 4.0 vision

Roberto Bea told that his company had embraced the emerging Industry 4.0 technological revolution with its vision of end-to-end digital and data integration throughout the production process to increase efficiency and improve competitiveness.

The company began investing in technologies and machinery to support digital transformation from 2017, as part of the National Industry 4.0 Plan.

“At BEA Technologies we are indeed implementing digitalization and Industry 4.0.,” declared Mr. Bea.

“We have purchased a new generation of pleating and manufacturing machines and equipment, which can be digitally connected to our mainframe and are capable of transmitting real-time data on production rates. This is useful for us to be able to control the production schedule and the time required to complete specific operations,” he explained.

Integration includes barcoding that allows individual products to be tracked and traced all the way through production and inventory phases.

Vertical warehousing

“In addition, we have recently installed two automatic vertical warehouses, one dedicated to semi-finished products ready for final assembly and the other in a warehouse where the finished packaged filter elements, marked with a label and bar code, are loaded. This way, each of our products is fully traceable and linked to the transport documents we send to customers,” said Mr. Bea.

The automatic vertical warehouses feature reliable and efficient storage and picking systems that drastically reduce the picking times of ready-to-use membrane filter elements, optimizing the use of personnel.

“The system is fully integrated to always have an updated situation of the availability of the filter elements in the warehouse, which are stored in an air-conditioned internal environment equipped with a safety system and automatic extinguishing in case of fire. The system also ensures superior ergonomics and optimal use of space,” Mr. Bea noted.

Future projects

He said BEA Technologies future plans included expansion of its cleanroom production capacity that is dedicated to pharma-grade products. This will be housed in a separate but adjacent building to the main production facility at Pero.

Other future projects include:

• Implementation of a range of filter capsules with different sizes to satisfy recent requests for different flow and product characteristics.
• Development of new single-use filtration systems in cooperation with a specialist partner
• Expansion of the R&D area, with newly installed instrumentation to run more tests on different filtration cases and study new materials for filtration.

The company is also extending its network of agents and distributors in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, to provide more support and services to customers worldwide.

Covid impact

Roberto Bea says he is proud of the way his company has evolved in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a period of intense pressure on organisations and sales teams with increasing numbers of worldwide enquiries on top of the disruption due to social distancing.

“However, we can proudly say that we were able to meet the increased order quantity, using overtime hours with our entire manufacturing workforce,” declared Mr. Bea.

“We have implemented remote working for all internal roles and people in the sales force who are equipped with laptops or notebooks suitable for working from home,” he added.

Pharma partner

The BEA Technologies CEO says the company strives to be a perfect partner for the pharmaceutical industry, whose filtration needs are both demanding and complex.

“Our company deeply cares for the optimization of pharmaceutical processing costs, to maintain high-quality outputs. This focus requires a clarification of process fluids to separate any potential contamination at the source,” says Mr. Bea.

“Yet, designing the right filtration system requires understanding in depth the system design principles and many process factors, including design – operative pressure, design and operative temperature, presence of liquid/gas phase, compatibility, and chemical composition,” he explains.

Mr. Bea said a further key to BEA Technologies success and innovation was its constant networking within the life sciences and other Italian pharma companies, allowing it to remain on the leading edge of technology and anticipate emerging purification needs for the pharma industry and drug manufacturers.

About BEA Technologies

BEA Technologies S.p.A has been an active presence on the filtration market for the last 50 years, working successfully worldwide in various sectors, including beverage, chemicals and pharmaceutical markets.

The company manufactures a wide range of innovative and high technology products to filter both solid particles, microorganisms and bacteria, removing them from liquids, air and gas.

The filters are produced in a certified cleanroom, in a controlled environment that is constantly monitored by computer systems to ensure that it complies with GMP (good manufacturing practice) requirements.

Internally, the company is structured in such a way as to be able to guarantee, through its commercial service and laboratory service (SLB), timely and expert consulting service and after-sales assistance. The headquarters in Pero, just outside Milan, based on three facilities which occupy a surface area of 13,000 sqm. In the plant there are two cleanrooms where the company produces all its membrane filters and filter elements for use in food and pharmaceutical applications. In 1994, BEA became one of the first filtration companies in Italy to get its quality assurance system certified in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard, constantly renewed until now.

To find out more, visit https://www.bea-italy.com/en/