Case studies: Suspensions production line in Laboratorios Cinfa
Customer
Laboratorios Cinfa is a renowned Spanish pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Pamplona, Navarre, and a familiar name in Spanish households. Established in 1969, it is part of Grupo Cinfa, which has a workforce of over 2200 employees, as well as four production plants and two R+D centres in Spain. Furthermore, recent years have seen significant growth for Cinfa internationally, and their treatments are now available in over one hundred countries. Specifically, Grupo Cinfa specialise in developing and producing medicinal products both for prescription and over-the-counter recommendations in pharmacies, personal care treatments, mobility products, and natural solutions based on scientific evidence.
The company is an example of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and committed to improving people’s quality of life, based on their slogan "Life moves us".
Project
Cinfa saw the need to update and automate their suspensions production line in order to increase efficiency and ensure consistency during the manufacturing process, a key aspect of pharmaceutical production.
The line had to both be integrated with three filling machines already installed in their plant and have advanced processing capabilities, including flexibility to manage different production stages, from mixing through to filling. The specific challenges included complying with strict cleaning and quality standards, and adapting the new skids to the existing control system in their plant.
“INOXPA’s adaptability to optimise existing resources and minimise costs was an important factor for Laboratorios Cinfa.”
“INOXPA’s adaptability to optimise existing resources and minimise costs was an important factor for Laboratorios Cinfa.”
Why INOXPA?
INOXPA were chosen for their solid reputation in the sector and their experience in process engineering adapted to the pharmaceutical industry. INOXPA specialise in high technology solutions that comply with the strict control and safety requirements required in the sector. Furthermore, INOXPA demonstrated a unique ability to adapt the existing CIP (Cleaning in Place) system at Cinfa’s plant, providing a solution that minimised infrastructure intervention and optimised available resources.
INOXPA solution
The solution provided by INOXPA not only met Cinfa's requirements but also brought multiple strategic benefits:
- Efficiency and quality: The new line means Cinfa can produce suspensions more efficiently, shortening mixing times and ensuring a homogeneous mix in each batch due to the advanced agitation systems.
- Automation and flexibility: Using SCADA for process programming and control enables quick adjustments to production based on the changing market needs, ensuring consistency in procedures.
- Saving on cleaning: Adapting the CIP system ensures quick and effective reactor cleaning without disassembling them, saving time and ensuring better hygiene in each batch.
- Cost reduction and increased safety: The integration of modern automation and control systems enhances operational safety, reducing the risk of contamination and keeping maintenance costs low.
With this installation, Cinfa will be able to continue producing suspensions with a high standard of quality while improving operational efficiency, complying with industry regulations and meeting the demand for effective and safe products in healthcare.
Installation characteristics
INOXPA designed and implemented a highly automated suspensions production line, adapted to Cinfa’s specifications. The installation includes:
- 4000 litre main reactor: Fitted with several agitation systems, including a vertical agitator and a magnetic tank bottom agitator, enabling homogeneous mixing of viscous products. This reactor is equipped with a heating/cooling jacket that keeps temperature conditions ideal, and a recirculation system with a multi-tooth mixer that ensures end product quality.
- 400 litre pre-mix reactor: An auxiliary reactor to perform pre-mixes of ingredients, fitted with a Cowler agitator and a tank bottom mixer, both essential for obtaining a homogeneous mix and for preparing the product for processing in the main reactor.
- Filling manifold expansion: INOXPA expanded the existing manifold to optimise the transfer of the suspension to the three filling machines, ensuring controlled and safe product flow using diaphragm valves and an automatic drainage system.
- CIP integration: The CIP system was adapted to clean the new reactors, with the cleaning process made more efficient without any interventions to the existing structure, reducing down time and ensuring sterility.
- Automation: The line was provided with an automation system based on a PLC Siemens S7-1500 and a SCADA WinCC, enabling process programming and management of every phase. This gives Cinfa flexibility and full control over the production, enabling adaptation to different products or manufacturing requirements. The installation of the control panel and wiring was carried out following the required safety protocols for a clean room.
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Suspensions production line in Laboratorios Cinfa
