Corporate Magazine 2012 - Boehringer Ingelheim

production networkperspectives for quality in operations211 The site at Columbus, Ohio (USA), was expanded in 2012 andmoney was invested in its high-containment operations to includea new, state-of-the-art facility for the development andmanufacture of oncology and other high-potency products.2 Increased patient needs are raising demand for the respimat®Soft Mist Inhaler.ance along the entire chain from developmentand sourcing to manufacturingand distribution of our medications.As compliance hurdles worldwide continueto evolve, all products have topass not only all levels of our existingquality standards, but also anticipatedfuture requirements. Our goal is tocontinuously analyse and improveour end-to-end processes. Any topicaffecting or compromising our qualityor reliability along the medicinalproduct chain will be subject to receiverigorous scrutiny.INVESTING IN INNOVATIONNew market launches in our respiratoryportfolio and increased patientneeds are raising demand forthe respimat® Soft Mist Inhaler.We will therefore invest EUR 163mto increase and double capacityto 44m packing units by 2015.The inhaler system is manufacturedat Boehringer IngelheimmicroParts GmbH in Dortmund,Germany, and the cartridges withthe active ingredient at the Ingelheimsite. Production planningin Dortmund was adapted to therequired capacity and additionalresources created in 2012. Furthermore,new employees werehired and trained.The site at Columbus, Ohio (USA),was also expanded in 2012 andUSD 50m was invested in its highcontainmentoperations (HCO) toinclude a state-of-the-art facilityfor the development and manufactureof oncology and otherhigh-potency products.The new capacity includes productand analytical development areas,quality control laboratories, activepharmaceutical ingredient filling,manufacturing and packagingunits and a finished goods warehouse.A unidirectional work flowand state-of-the-art containmentavoidance technology means reducedpossibility for cross-contamination.In addition, the manufacturingsuites are designed forflexibility and quick changeovers.In Columbus, Boehringer Ingelheimmanufactures a broad rangeof products. Through investment,global capacity for handling andmanufacturing potent compoundsis increasing, thereby making theColumbus site into a HCO centerof excellence for the global BoehringerIngelheim network.Thanks to the new HCO facilityand the cutting-edge technologiesemployed, we will also be in a positionin the future to continuallybroaden its product portfolio inorder to offer even more highgradeand affordable medicines.Small and large-scale manufacturingcapacitities support bothclinical provision and commercialproduction, and will enable us totake timely advantage of futuremarket opportunities.Managing quality 113