Jo Watts

Day Three at ACHEMA and I've seen even more innovations. here are some of the highlights.

Medelpharm have a tablet compressor that can make 900 single or 300 triple layer tablets in an hour. It does the entire process. It can make tablets of up to five layers and three different types of powder are possible. A touch of a button allows for the weighing of each layer independently. Each step is monitored for analysis, force, displacement and ejection. It is also remarkably easy to dismantle and reassemble. 

Sartorius have a massive array of products at the event. Their Picus pipette won a red-dot award in 2012. It is durable yet light and it claims to protect from RSI. Their Biostat D-DCU is a compact sterilisation in-place bioreactor. It comes in a variety of sizes, from 10L to 200L. Its modular design enables easy configuration to meet individual customer needs. 

Sartorius also announced that they have teamed up with BOSCH. Their preVAS system is a complete, pre-validated single-use filling system. It is pre-Validated, pre-Assembled and pre-Sterilised. It is flexible, safe, and quick. What's more it uses the BOSCH peristaltic pump, there is a trolley version, and hybrid versions are available.

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With ACHEMA entering its penultimate day and many visitors preparing to return home after a busy stay in Frankfurt, PTE editor Jo Watts gives her closing thoughts on the show.

Live Report From ACHEMA

Another day and I’ve seen many more technologies here in Frankfurt at ACHEMA.

AVEVA have unveiled a new plant design technology. The software should offer faster deployment and an intuitive graphic user interface (GUI) with mobile access. It offers richer design capabilities that will improve automation and visibility. The company also claim that it will be faster and 20% more efficient than their previous, tried and tested product.  

BOSCH had a vast array of products on show. Their Fast Air Lock ISS 1000 allows for the contamination-free transfer of pharmaceutical equipment. It is the 100th isolator sold to the pharmaceutical trade. They also have a unit based on soft x-ray technology for the inspection of filled hard capsules. Their Marvus system consists of a headset with a camera, display, earphones and microphone. This is all for remote service from BOSCH experts. This product is also up for an innovation award.

Other innovations I noted were ATMI’s large array of mixers and bioreactors for single-use technology. Conductive levitation is a unique mixing technology and there is no contact. Meanwhile. Thermo Scientific had a freezer on show that will text you if it starts defrosting. They have also developed an extruder for hot-melt extrusion, in association with BASF.

The majority of the PTE team is in attendance at ACHEMA. Dr Jo Watts gives us a live update from day two of the show.

Day Two at ACHEMA

In 2009 there were 3767 exhibitors and more than 173000 visitors to ACHEMA in Frankfurt. The 2012 event looks to be even bigger. The hot topics for this year are energy and resources, while congress topics will address process engineering, pharmaceutical production and biotechnology. On the opening day, I saw a variety of new technologies for the pharma industry.  

Lock showcased a gravity fall metal detection system that promises a greater product integrity for API manufacturers. They also have a bottlecheck system that incorporates an 'OPTIX' detector that inspects bottles of tablets and capsules at the end of the packaging line.  

Thomas Homann of GEA showed me a separator for the recovery of vaccines and pharmaceutical proteins in lab scale and pilot plant applications. It operates at 20000G, which is unique worldwide. There are three bowl sizes, 15-30 L/h up to 150-300L/h. Of course, it is a sterile system that meets GMP requirements.   

Merck Millipore have the only complete single-use process train that promises scalable, industry standard separation and purification technologies. The highest level of flexibility for multi-product, multi-scale facilities with modular units for scaling up, down and across unit operations.

The majority of the PTE team is in attendance at ACHEMA. Our editor, Dr Jo Watts, gives her opinion on how the first day of the show went and what her expectations are for the rest of the week.

Live: ACHEMA Opening Day Report

It is with real pleasure that I join the 

 (PTE) team. I am honoured to be the Editor of this magazine, especially at such an exciting time. This year celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Pharmaceutical Technology brand, an event that will be celebrated with special feature articles that evaluate the last three and a half decades of developments in the pharmaceutical industry (be sure to check out 

 in July for the celebratory retrospectives). 

Given the current economic climate, none of us can foresee what the future holds for the industry, but our editorial team will endeavour to continue bringing you relevant, topical and unbiased information. As Editor, I will undertake providing you with engaging, enjoyable content that you will find both interesting and beneficial.  

I look forward to meeting some of you at industry events in the coming months and hearing your views on what we can do to make your job easier. We welcome your feedback and participation in our online PharmTechGroup communities on LinkedIn and Twitter.  

This month also sees the next ACHEMA event. In current economic times such shows can seem a financial burden, but the chance to meet people face-to-face is becoming less frequent, and to have such large numbers from the industry all under one roof is a compelling enough reason to attend. This year, the majority of the PTE team will be attending the show in Frankfurt. Visit us in hall 3.1, stand J25. You are more than welcome to visit us to let us know what's happening in your corner of the market, or to tell us about something exciting you've seen. 

I would like to thank you, European Pharmaceutical Technologists, for your continued support of PTE over the years. With your constant input we will go on making PTE the successful magazine that it is. 

It is with real pleasure that I join the Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE) team.

Welcome!

It is that time again. After 3 years of waiting ACHEMA is upon us. As the world forum for the pharmaceutical industry with 4000 exhibitors from 50 countries it promises to be an interesting and exciting show. In the exhibitors halls the topic of the Special Show this year is Innovative Energy Carriers and Storage. Other areas to be covered include Materials Technology, Mechanical Processes, and Pharmaceutical, Packaging and Storage Techniques. Materials Technology will cover an array of themes, from metallic and non-metallic materials and composites for chemical engineering, to quality assurance techniques during operations. If plant, apparatus, or drive units and cleaning technology is what you’re interested in then see you in Mechanical Processes. As ever, the integral topics of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection are represented. The congress programme is just as diverse. Adhesive bonding through Laboratory and Analytical Techniques to Water for Industrial Use are all represented. The fields of Pharmaceutical Production and Mixing and Separation Technology both offer an extensive range of subjects.

Petra Roth, mayor of Frankfurt, says of the city “it is the most international city in Germany, the largest financial centre on the continent, the historical city of coronations, the city of Goethe and the Frankfurt School… In brief, the smallest metropolis in the world, in which there is a lot to discover at close hand.” For those of you who appreciate culture, highlights of the Frankfurt social scene include the ‘Museumsufer’, where 11 well-known museums are lined up on both sides of the Main. There are about 50 other museums and exhibition halls, including the Schirn Kunsthalle, all in the immediate vicinity or in a central location. For the less refined of us there’s the Sachsenhausen. The old-town is filled with taverns devoted to the golden elixir, apple wine. 

I am looking forward to meeting some of you and learning more about the industry. Myself and the rest of the PTE team will be in Hall 3.1, Stand J25. I hope to see you in Frankfurt!

ACHEMA is just around the corner and there is a high sense of expectation from attendees and exhibitors alike?and the Pharmaceutical Technology Europe team! Our new Editor, Dr Jo Watts, is looking forward to meeting you all at the show in Hall 31, Stand J25.