Schering Plough upgrades biotechnology facility DCS

The Schering Plough biotechnology facility, located in Cork, Ireland, will upgrade its industrial control system with ABB’s Industrial IT Extended Automation System 800xA.

By Control Engineering Staff May 13, 2004

The Schering Plough biotechnology facility, located in Cork, Ireland, will upgrade its industrial control system with ABB’s IndustrialITExtended Automation System 800xA.

The Schering Plough Brinny site, in operation for more than 25 years, manufactures Interferon alfa-2b used in the treatment of malignant melanoma, chronic hepatitis B & C, and other illnesses. To meet the growing requirements for Interferon alfa-2b, Schering Plough (Brinny) will extend their facility to allow for non-interrupted production of the drug.

The upgrade project will be conducted in two phases: phase one includes a new DCS for control of additional fermentation equipment; and phase two extends the new DCS to control the existing facility.

The scope of the implementation project consists of a complete FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant process control system, including the following integrated core functions of System 800xA: operator workplaces, AC800M controllers, field device integration, batch management, and information management. ABB will design and supply fieldbus networks connecting smart instruments, S800 remote I/O, intelligent MCC’s, and variable speed drives. The scope of supply also includes system design, engineering, system building, testing and commissioning, as well as validation support and customer training services.

Click here for more information from the ABB Website .

—David Greenfield, editorial director, Control Engineering, dgreenfield@reedbusiness.com