Ready for upcoming purity standards: ENGIE Germany creates future-proof production space for PAN-Biotech

Cologne - PAN-Biotech, one of the leading companies for the production of cell culture media, buffer solutions and reagents with global customers from research and development as well as pharmaceutical production, is on a growth course. The company is now relying on ENGIE Deutschland's expertise and experience with highly sensitive applications to expand its own production space. The specialists for technology, energy and service supported PAN-Biotech in the pharmaceutical-grade interior construction of a new production clean room in the immediate vicinity of the existing buildings in Aidenbach, Bavaria. The approximately 420-square-meter facility offers space for 27 clean rooms and ancillary rooms - a challenging number of rooms, as the ENGIE Deutschland team had to precisely regulate the pressure differences in the individual areas. The experts quickly found the right solution, as project manager Horst Lang explained: "All rooms for PAN-Biotech are pressure-regulated and designed as a pressure cascade. Thanks to the integration of digital technologies, our customer can continuously monitor pressure, temperature, humidity and particles. As a result, PAN-Biotech benefits from additional safety and time savings. In addition, the HVAC system, airlock control and integrated automation can be precisely controlled." Also central to the new production facility is the Fill 1 and Fill 2 aseptic filling system, which meets Class B cleanroom standards. In addition, filter-fan units integrated into the cleanroom ceiling protect the work area from contamination. The production cleanroom is rounded off by material receiving, weighing, preparation room, cooling room, airlocks and separate areas for packaging, labeling and logistics. Large window areas and glass surfaces arranged along the visual axis ensure a transparent production process and a pleasant working environment.

Fit for the future thanks to state-of-the-art technology

Another special feature of the project: In addition to the actual construction on site, ENGIE Deutschland realized the clean room facility virtually. The specialists worked closely with the Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences. With the help of a 3D laser scanner, the project team thoroughly scanned both the hall and the integrated steel structure before construction began, thus gathering valuable information for the further course of the project. A renewed scan of the finished production facility will serve as the basis for training purposes in the future. "The use of virtual reality (VR) definitely contributed to the success of the project. Thanks to the knowledge gained, we can improve the quality of our entire cleanroom planning in the long term," emphasizes Horst Lang. PAN-Biotech also benefits significantly from the modern technology: "Thanks to VR, we now have the opportunity to present our cleanroom production at audits and other events without affecting actual production," says Managing Director Thies Blohm happily. The entrepreneur is completely satisfied with the final result, because the new cleanrooms hold great potential for the future of PAN-Biotech: Thanks to the new workspace, the company can manufacture a wide range of products according to GMP standards, for example cell culture media, reagents and buffer solutions. ENGIE Deutschland will continue to support PAN-Biotech in this regard thanks to its comprehensive service portfolio with its own refrigeration machines from sister company ENGIE Refrigeration and with its own service area for cleanroom planning, measurement and control technology, and cleanroom qualification.

Ready for the future: ENGIE Germany created a cleanroom solution for PAN-Biotech that meets the highest requirements. In the weighing-in area (pictured), substances necessary for manufacturing are weighed for downstream production.