Sterile filling and freeze-drying processes for pharmaceutical applications often require a combination of filling line, isolator, and freeze dryer. This combines different process steps and technology, which not only have to be coordinated, but also controlled, tested, and qualified together.
The "Comprehensive Scientific Process Engineering" (CSPE) is a clearly defined, holistic process that provides complete system integration. The process starts as early as the design phase with a complete view of fill-and-finish systems, isolators, and freeze dryers. With the help of optimized engineering, the process ranges from digital planning and simulations to cycle development and functional testing with integrated Factory Acceptance Testing (iFAT) and validation.
What sets CSPE apart from classic project management is that rather than testing fill-finish equipment separately from isolators and freeze-dryers, it is all designed and tested as one complete system. The software and automation concepts, for example, are uniformly designed for the entire line. The decontamination cycle is not only planned but developed and validated in-house. And instead of adapting to changes at the customer's expense, the system is tested in advance under real operating conditions.
The approach has proven itself. Plants that have utilized CSPE show more consistent behavior during commissioning and reduced risk of rework, downtime, or delays during the qualification phase.
CSPE structures the turnkey process into coordinated phases from the very beginning. Already in the planning phase, processes are simulated, air flows are calculated, leaks are analyzed, and the software architecture is designed at the overall system level. The resulting information flows directly into engineering decisions.
The system set up and integration takes place in one of Optima’s three state-of-the-art CSPE centers. In the next step, the entire line is tested as a functional unit and an integrated FAT (iFAT) is performed. All interfaces are checked, reducing the number of open points in the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) to a minimum. Even after commissioning, the principle continues to apply - service, training, and life cycle management are included in the overall process.