GEA Aims to Expand Access to Continuous Manufacturing with ConsiGma 4.0

GEA has repositioned its ConsiGma portfolio to bring continuous processing technology to a broader pharmaceutical customer segment, aiming to ensure that new oral solid dosage drugs can be brought to market as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, the company announced in a June 23, 2020 press release. The company has expanded, integrated, and consolidated its ConsiGma continuous oral solid dosage equipment, allowing fully configurable systems that can be connected to new or existing facilities, including third-party equipment (1). 

“The GEA ConsiGma portfolio has always been, and was designed to be, configurable as an integrated system. Traditionally, however, our approach was to supply an end-to-end line that predominantly, if not solely, comprised GEA technology. With ConsiGma 4.0, however, to meet customer demand and make continuous manufacturing available to all, we’re now able to open up these so-called interfaces to other qualified, third-party equipment vendors,” Richard Steiner, global sales director of GEA’s Continuous Technologies, explained to Pharmaceutical Technology. 

The newly defined ConsiGma 4.0 modules can be used to transform an individual unit operation (e.g., granulation) from batch to a stand-alone, continuous operation. “For some customer segments, such as generics manufacturers, for example, this constitutes a less complex and lower cost use of continuous manufacturing technology, which avoids having to replace the entire production and quality control infrastructure,” says Steiner. Others can use ConsiGma as an entire, fully integrated continuous manufacturing line. “With defined interfaces that seamlessly connect individual unit operations and our control system software, we’re bringing a whole new level of continuous manufacturing know-how to the market,” says Steiner.

The system uses advanced process control software and the company’s newly developed Conductor 4.0 control system, which is compatible with supervisory control and data acquisition systems and connects to the Industrial Internet of Things. “As process data is generated in real-time, whether in a standalone or integrated system, and critical quality attributes are collected, analyzed, and reported, information regarding the batch genealogy, material flow, and recipe handling can be remotely monitored, controlled, and assessed to deliver a profound level of insight into the quality of an entire batch,” explains Steiner. 

Although the system is configurable, standard, core elements are available “off-the-shelf.” Standardization or mass customization makes continuous manufacturing equipment more affordable for a wider range of users and expedites delivery, adds Steiner.

GEA now also offers augmented and virtual reality remote support tools for planning, testing, installation, and service. 

Reference

1.  GEA, “GEA: ConsiGma 4.0 from GEA makes Continuous Manufacturing Technology Available to All,” Press Release, June 23, 2020.