Top Plant 2012: Pfizer Global Supply

Jack Smith

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The savings are significant. Taylor said the annual energy decrease is more than 23,000 MWh. The fluorescent T8 lamps provide higher lumen output and better lumen maintenance, and they provide the opportunity to switch lights on and off based on occupancy, he said.

The Kalamazoo plant’s water conservation projects include process-water control-automation improvements, condensate return line replacements, and HVAC retrocommissioning. The average annual water consumption decrease is more than 2,000,000 cubic meters.

The energy management system installed at the plant in 2009 monitors utilities and provides data to the utility historian. In addition to displaying data in real time on the plant’s Web-based energy dashboard, the facility has more than three years of data archived within the utility historian.

“We created internal Web pages where we can view and trend every utility meter on campus,” Taylor said. “Anyone on-site can look at this tool. Operators can see immediately how their processes affect energy usage.”

As with many facilities, one of the Kalamazoo plant’s major challenges is to continue to identify and act upon energy-saving opportunities with limited resources.

Operations, continuous improvement

Pharmaceutical raw materials are produced in the Kalamazoo facility’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (APl) plant in preparation for formulation in the drug product (DP) plant. API processes include fermentation, isolation, and chemical synthesis. The types of equipment used in the API plant are similar to those used in a typical chemical plant: pressure vessels, heat exchangers, piping systems, and water filtration devices. Equipment used in the DP plant includes container filling lines, freeze-dry operation, packaging machines cartoners, and palletizers.

Product flow generally begins with materials made in the API plant and ending in the DP plant for formulation. After formulation, vials or bottles are processed through the various filling areas, with some being freeze-dried, and are ultimately capped. The capped vials are inspected, after which they are labeled, packaged, and shipped.

“This plant is diverse,” said Jason Cassiday, senior manager, operational excellence. “The batch processes in our plant are very similar to what you’d find in a chemical plant. We also have typical production lines where we fill bottles and vials.”