L.B. Bohle ‘Innovation Days’ showcase leading edge facility and continuous manufacturing solutions

Ennigerloh, Germany: – World-respected builder of advanced pharma machinery, L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH (L.B. Bohle), has attracted intense interest from leading pharmaceutical industry players for its Innovation Days showcasing its latest facilities and solutions.

The two-day symposium at Ennigerloh presented L.B. Bohle’s new Plant 4 there as a new industry reference for efficient manufacturing and a significant milestone towards its goal of making leading edge continuous manufacturing technology readily accessible for pharma producers.

Investment in continuous manufacturing

The recently opened 2,000 m² Plant 4 operates according to latest manufacturing standards, with emphasis also placed on sustainability and energy efficiency. It will exclusively focus on production of continuous manufacturing machines and systems, such as the QbCon® series.

It marks the culmination of a multi-million euro L.B. Bohle investment program in development of new machines and processes for the continuous manufacturing of pharmaceutical solids.

New industry reference

L.B Bohle Executive Director Tim Remmert welcomed 90 participants to the May 25 opening of the Innovation Days session, hosted in partnership with KORSCH AG. “We will not only talk about the latest developments. We will also present the first complete plant as a reference in our new Plant 4,” said Mr. Remmert.

The symposium heard that continuous manufacturing, particularly continuous production of tablets, had proved to be a practical reality for the pharma industry.

Plateau of productivity

“Many technologies came and left. But with continuous manufacturing, things turned out differently,” noted Professor Peter Kleinebudde of Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf at the start of the symposium.

He said the technology had gone through the usual innovation curve of initial euphoria and high expectations, disillusionment and market exit by many players. However, the persistence of innovation drivers such as L.B. Bohle had bought continuous manufacturing to a “plateau of productivity” where the technology was now making a breakthrough.

“The goal here is not that the entire manufacturing process has to be 100 percent continuous,” Kleinebudde explained. It could also be just individual process steps. Depending on the product requirement, he said, continuous manufacturing varies in intensity.

Rescuing a project

Dr. Carsten Schmidt, Head of Drug Product Development for Merck Healthcare at Darmstadt, also highlighted persistence, innovative spirit and rapid decision-making processes at L.B. Bohle as success factors. After an initial visit and discussions in 2016, Merck had initially decided against a project with L.B. Bohle in 2017. “But Lorenz Bohle, chairman of the foundation at L.B. Bohle, personally stayed on. He wanted to know why we made the decision we did,” Dr. Schmidt recalled.

The feedback had resulted in a re-energized partnership with a first prototype tested in 2018. The symposium also presented results of further joint Merck and L.B. Bohle development: a complete production line for the continuous manufacture of tablets.

Intensive knowledge exchange

The heart of the complete line is the QbCon® 1 from L.B. Bohle for continuous wet granulation and drying, presented for inspection at the Innovation Days.

Together with a mixing and dosing unit from Gericke AG, it is completely enclosed by an isolator from Franz Ziel GmbH. In addition, there is a BTS 100 screen, a XL 100 WipCon® tablet press from KORSCH AG and a KOCO® 25 semi-continuous coater. The system is fed by two HS 400 automated lifting columns.

Knowledge exchange

The Innovation Days also formed a platform for experts from other companies, including KORSCH AG, Gericke AG and Franz Ziel GmbH, to present technical aspects of their special machines and their integration into continuous processes.

At the conclusion of the symposium, host Tim Remmert and company founder Lorenz Bohle expressed their great satisfaction with the intensive exchange of knowledge among the pharmaceutical experts and pledged similar Innovation Days in future.

“The response was positive throughout and we are very pleased to have not only informed the participants about our processes and equipment, but to have inspired them,” concluded Tim Remmert.

About L.B. Bohle

Founded in 1981, L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH (L.B. Bohle) has established a worldwide reputation as a producer and supplier of advanced systems for pharmaceutical manufacturing, based on a track record of technological innovation and continuous improvement.

Based at Ennigerloh in Northwest Germany, L.B. Bohle operates worldwide, offering advanced solutions for every aspect of oral solid dose (OSD) and nutraceutical tablet production, including weighing & dosing, grinding & sieving, blending, tablet coating, sorting, handling systems, cleaning and containment, process monitoring and continuous manufacturing.

The company’s guiding vision is one of technological innovation in the production of pharmaceutical solids. This supports a core mission to deliver maximum product efficiency increases for its customers, through continuous development and product innovations that not only increase quality and efficiency, but also strengthen competitive edge and sustainability.

To these ends, L.B. Bohle offers both complete production lines and solutions for individual production steps, focusing on rapid development and production of sophisticated, pragmatic, and customized applications.

The company operates development and manufacturing facilities at its home base at Ennigerloh and at Sassenberg, both in North Rhine-Westphalia. Additionally it has sales and service subsidiaries in the USA (Warminster, PA) in India (Ahmedabad) , in Singapore and in Switzerland (Reiden). It is also represented by more than 40 qualified sales partners worldwide, having become a globally recognized brand.

Further information at: www.lbbohle.com  and www.continuous-manufacturing.com

Resources

Click on Innovation Days: Continuous Manufacturing and new Plant 4 attract great interest for original announcement.
Click on New Plant 4 opened by L.B. Bohle for further information.
Click on Continuous Production Line – QbCon® for further information.
Visit our Technology Center and Service Center virtually in a 360° tour.