Assistant for trusted Ai for lifesciences.

Many pharma and life sciences companies want to leverage the efficiency gains of generative Ai, yet they cannot afford inaccurate or unverifiable results in GxP-regulated processes (Good Manufacturing Practice and other Good Practice guidelines). With the new K.AI Assistant, Körber closes this gap by bringing trustworthy Ai to regulated environments. Operators, engineers, and quality teams can access compliant answers in seconds while reducing the risks typically associated with generic Ai tools.

“AI will only create value in life sciences operations if it can be trusted in GxP-critical processes,” said Shaun Tyler, VP Artificial Intelligence, Software, Körber Business Area Pharma. “With the new K.AI Assistant, we are bringing together trusted AI, regulatory compliance, and deep industry expertise to help manufacturers confidently scale AI across their operations.”

Life sciences require a different approach to Ai.
As pharmaceutical companies face growing pressure to improve productivity and accelerate digital transformation, many teams still spend valuable time searching through standard operating procedures, batch records, and compliance documentation. At the same time, generic Ai tools are often unsuitable for regulated environments because of high hallucination risks and the validation effort required to deploy them in GxP-critical processes.

Reliable answers for regulated processes.
Körber’s K.AI Assistant addresses these challenges by delivering reliable answers based on Körber product knowledge and customer-specific GxP documentation. Powered by PharmaGuardrails, the solution prevents inaccurate and out-of-scope responses, helping life sciences companies establish trusted Ai workflows in regulated environments.

New capabilities for faster responses.
The latest release introduces new capabilities including document upload, easy onboarding, improved communication management, an enhanced user experience, and intuitive natural-language interaction. Together, these features help reduce search times, accelerate operator productivity, simplify training, and support audit readiness across manufacturing and quality operations.

Native PAS-X MES integration further lowers adoption barriers by embedding K.AI Assistant into an already validated manufacturing environment, reducing validation effort and accelerating time-to-value. In addition, flexible headless integration enables companies to embed trusted Ai capabilities directly into existing applications, workflows, and digital ecosystems.

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@WerumKarrierec #Koerber  #PAuto #Pharma #Ai

Pharmaceutical traceability.

Enterprise traceability, operational intelligence and AI-assisted investigations helping manufacturers prevent disruptions, accelerate exception resolution and improve product availability.

The launch of Systech TraceIQ™, an intelligent, easy-to-use enterprise traceability platform created for a new operational reality in pharmaceutical supply chains has been announced. 

An industry in transition.
The first generation of enterprise traceability platforms were developed primarily to meet serialisation mandates, exchange data with trading partners and report to regulators. Those systems established the compliance foundation the industry depends on today. But while compliance remains essential, it is no longer sufficient.

As regulations evolve and supply chains grow more complex—across sites, CMOs, logistics providers and regulators—teams are expected to resolve issues faster and keep product moving with limited resources. Traditional traceability solutions serve as systems of record, capturing events and maintaining compliance. However, when operational issues occur, teams often struggle to quickly determine root causes, coordinate across partners and take corrective action. The result can be investigation delays, shipment holds and avoidable operational inefficiencies.

The evolution from system of record to system of intelligence.
Backed by Systech’s four decades of packaging execution and serialisation expertise, TraceIQ combines core compliance capabilities with an operational intelligence layer—enhanced by AI-assisted analytics and insights—designed for how pharmaceutical supply chains function today.

Fast to deploy and intuitive to use, TraceIQ transforms traceability data from a passive record of transactions into an active source of insight, enabling teams to identify patterns, investigate root causes and collaborate across partners.

"Serialization created unprecedented visibility into pharmaceutical supply chains, but visibility alone does not solve operational issues," said Sreedhar Patnala, General Manager, Systech. "Organizations need to quickly understand what happened, why it happened and what action to take next. TraceIQ helps teams move beyond compliance reporting toward proactive operational decision-making that keeps products moving throughout the supply chain safely and in a timely manner.”

Built around three operational outcomes:

• Prevent issues before they stop product: Built-in validation and guardrails help identify bad data and avoidable errors before they create downstream exceptions, rework or shipment delays.
• Resolve exceptions before they become disruptions: Centralised traceability data and AI-assisted investigation help teams determine what happened, identify likely causes and take corrective action faster across internal operations and external partners.
• Turn traceability data into operational decisions: Intuitive search, analytics and intelligent assistance provide supply chain, quality and compliance teams with the insights they need to make faster decisions, improve partner collaboration and optimise performance.

From emerging biopharmaceutical companies preparing for commercial launch to global manufacturers and contract organisations managing complex partner ecosystems, TraceIQ helps organisations unlock greater value from their serialisation and traceability investments. The result is improved operational visibility, increased productivity and more informed decision-making.

Traceability for today’s operational demands.
As global supply chains become more interconnected and regulatory expectations continue to expand, manufacturers require traceability systems that not only ensure compliance but also drive operational performance. TraceIQ was designed to support this next phase of traceability.

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@SystechOne #PAuto #Pharma #Ai @ramarketingpr

Updated manufacturing system.

The latest version of Körber's PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System has been released. PAS-X MES 3.4.2 helps pharma and life science manufacturers maximise operational performance while significantly lowering infrastructure and maintenance efforts.

The new version expands shopfloor capabilities and is, for example, well suited for Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) manufacturing, supporting Chain of Identity and Chain of Custody, material traceability and mobile photo documentation. CGT companies benefit from improved operator guidance, end-to-end traceability and enhanced process security for highly individualised therapies.

Maximised uptime.
PAS-X SmartInstall automates deployments, updates, validation checks, and reporting. The new installation process, based on Kubernetes Operators, reduces installation effort to just a few hours while increasing system availability.

Increased infrastructure efficiency.
Infrastructure requirements have been further reduced by migrating core services to GraalVM, a high-performance runtime environment that optimises Java applications. As a result, memory consumption is reduced by up to 50 percent while startup times are significantly improved, further modernising the PAS-X MES system architecture.

A strategic step for more efficient pharma manufacturing.
“The new PAS-X MES 3.4.2 version is another important step in our mission to help pharma and life science manufacturers achieve greater efficiency with lower operational effort,” says Pierrick Lebigre, Vice President Product, Software, Körber Business Area Pharma. “This release combines enhanced shopfloor capabilities with significant improvements in deployment automation, infrastructure efficiency and system observability. Customers benefit from lower total cost of ownership, faster operations and greater agility in highly regulated manufacturing environments.”

Strong data foundation for analytics and AI.
The new PAS-X Data Access 3.2 version, released alongside PAS-X MES 3.4.2, further strengthens the data foundation of PAS-X MES by doubling the scope of trusted, reusable manufacturing data available to data & analytics teams. The expanded data model provides richer context across processes, materials, products, and sites, enabling deeper operational insight while reducing the long-term effort required to integrate, maintain, and scale MES data across enterprise analytics and AI initiatives.

Improved observability and WMS integration.
The latest PAS-X MES release also introduces new observability tools, providing unified metrics, logs and traces across application, platform and infrastructure layers to accelerate issue detection and resolution. In addition, new warehouse and material management capabilities improve material request and supply workflows, strengthen WMS integration (Warehouse Management System) and increase accessibility of operational data.

PAS-X MES 3.4.2 is available for all deployment models, including on-premise, private cloud and fully managed SaaS environments.

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@WerumKarrierec #Koerber  #PAuto #MES #Pharma 

Collaborative integrated scientific discovery chief appointed.

Symeres the leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO), and Axxam, provider of biology-driven discovery services, have announced the appointment of Russell Thomas, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer to drive a joint collaboration between Symeres and Axxam that combines the unique R&D services offering of both organizations.

Dr Russell Thomas

The appointment strengthens the scientific leadership of both Symeres and Axxam as they continue to build a closely connected, science-led offering for pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners. By bringing together the complementary capabilities of both organizations, customers can receive support across integrated discovery and development programs. The integrated solutions offered span all the way from target assessment, screening and testing, lead identification and optimization all the way to development candidate nomination and IND ready packages.

As CSO, Thomas will help shape and execute the scientific strategy of Symeres and Axxam, as well as working closely with scientific and commercial teams across both companies. His role will include supporting the development of integrated client solutions, connecting scientific capabilities, and identifying opportunities to further strengthen the combined discovery and development capabilities. The appointment comes as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies increasingly seek partners able to provide solutions, that connects scientific support across the drug discovery and development continuum.

Symeres and Axxam will provide customers with integrated access to a palette of scientific expertise, established R&D platforms and long-standing teams across Europe and the US. The collaboration brings together the unique scientific depth, specialist capabilities and practical delivery mindset of Symeres and Axxam to meet the needs of increasingly complex customer programs. Their shared commitment to high-quality science and practical collaboration will deliver lasting value for partners.

Thomas returns to Symeres after a year supporting growing biotech and biomaterials companies. As well as his experience at Axxam and Symeres, he has held scientific and leadership positions at organizations including GSK, Evotec, Siena Biotech, and Proteros. His wealth of experience spanning the entire R&D value chain will be a significant advantage to customers discovery and development programs.

“Returning as Chief Scientific Officer feels very exciting as it connects two parts of a story. Having spent important parts of my career at both Symeres and Axxam, I’m excited to help bring together expert led complementary science, strong transatlantic teams and a shared mindset to support partners and projects in a truly integrated way,” said Thomas.

Thomas first joined Symeres in January 2020 as Head of Business Development and later served as Chief Scientific Officer. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing strategic customer relationships and strengthening the company’s scientific profile across the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

Before joining Symeres, Thomas served as Director of Discovery Research and later Director of Strategic Alliances at Axxam. He helped establish and manage the integrated medicinal chemistry relationship with Symeres, giving him a deep understanding of both organizations ensuring he is aligned to the scientific and cultural foundations customers value.

“Russell’s appointment reflects our commitment to building value for customers that matches their drug discovery and development needs,” said Henning Steinhagen, CEO of Symeres. “As customer programs become more complex, scientific leadership that can connect capabilities, people and platforms across organizations becomes increasingly important. Russell brings a rare combination of scientific expertise, industry experience and first-hand knowledge of both Symeres and Axxam, together with a strong understanding of how to translate early discovery projects into preclinical development and beyond. This makes him ideally placed to help us deliver value for customers and support our long-term growth strategy.”

“Russell’s appointment is aligned to the vision of integrated discovery and development linking two organisations that know each other well. The common objective is to develop faster and better drugs for the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately improve patient’s lives” said Ciriaco Maraschiello, CEO of Axxam. “Russell’s appointment is an important step in strengthening the connection between both companies, with his experience providing a valuable perspective on how to connect scientific capabilities to customer needs. Having worked within both Axxam and Symeres, he understands the strengths, culture and potential of each organisation, and is well placed to support the growth of both companies.”

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 #symeres #Axxam#Pharma #Research

Stainless steel shaft couplings for pharma.

Meet hygiene requirements, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and highly hygienic.

Stainless steel shaft couplings are used in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical technology sectors because they are corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and hygienic. Their smooth, stainless surface prevents the accumulation of dirt and germs, meeting stringent hygiene requirements.

Jakob Antriebstechnik GmbH now offers various stainless steel couplings as standard product series: the KG-VA, KGH-VA, and MKG-VA metal bellows couplings; the WD-VA and WDB spacer coupling series; the EKM-VA elastomer coupling; and the SKVA-N and SKVA-K safety couplings (including variants).

It is particularly worth noting that both the KGH-VA metal bellows coupling and the WD-VA series feature a split-hub design that facilitates easy installation. This construction allows for simple mounting and dismounting, even in confined spaces. The fixed hub halves are simply placed onto the shaft and bolted to the loose split-hub sections. This saves time—especially with fixed shaft ends—by eliminating the need for the complex disassembly of drive or output units. Thanks to their stainless steel construction, these couplings are also ideally suited for use in the food industry.

Various series for diverse applications.
The KG-VA series is suitable for temperatures up to 350°C and is designed for shaft diameters ranging from 10 to 90 mm and torques from 30 to 1000 Nm. The KGH-VA series is wear-free and maintenance-free; it is also rated for temperatures up to 350°C and covers shaft diameters from 7 to 85 mm and torques from 10 to 1200 Nm. It is available in variable overall lengths with either 2- or 4-convolution bellows. The MKG-VA is a miniature metal bellows coupling featuring a clamping hub; available with either a two- or four-convolution bellows, it can transmit up to 15 Nm of torque and operate at temperatures up to 350°C.

A new addition to the product range is the EKM-VA elastomer coupling, capable of transmitting torques up to 500 Nm and operating at temperatures up to 90°C. It features an easy-to-install clamping hub.

The WD-VA spacer coupling is available in variable lengths of up to 3 meters and ensures backlash-free torque transmission. It is also suitable for temperatures up to 350°C and accommodates shaft diameters ranging from 7 to 85 mm, with torque capacities between 10 and 1200 Nm.

The SKVA-N and SKVA-K series safety couplings are designed for indirect drives, while the SKVA-EK and SKVA-KG series are intended for direct drives. They are suitable for use in the food processing and medical technology sectors, where exceptionally high hygiene standards are required. The non-elastomer series offer superior heat resistance, making them ideal for applications in ovens or refrigeration systems.

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@UnnGmbh @PresseBox #jakobantriebstechnik #Pharma #Pauto

Chief scientific officer appointed.

Ariane de Ganck, PhD has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer with Ardena.

This appointment reflects Ardena’s continued focus on scientific excellence across its integrated offering, supporting customers from early development through to later-stage clinical and commercial supply. Ariane will help ensure Ardena’s scientific expertise is effectively aligned across services and sites, so complex drug development programs benefit from coordinated technical insight, consistent project execution and robust regulatory strategy.

Dr. Ariane de Ganck

“Ariane’s track record across scientific, operational and commercial leadership roles makes her exceptionally well suited to this position,” said Jeremie Trochu, CEO of Ardena. “For customers developing complex molecules, integrated scientific input across disciplines is essential. As Chief Scientific Officer, Ariane will help ensure Ardena’s expertise is applied consistently across complex development programs, supporting our customers as they advance therapies with the potential to improve patients’ lives.”

Since joining Ardena in 2019, she has overseen the company’s drug product operations, led the successful acquisition and integration of the Ardena Pamplona site, and supported the expansion of Ardena’s development capabilities into aseptic fill and finish services.

As Chief Scientific Officer, Ariane will lead three key areas: Science & Technology, Project Management and CMC Regulatory Affairs. Through Science & Technology, she will advance scientific exchange across Ardena and with external industry experts and thought leaders, ensuring scientific knowledge and expertise are shared effectively across disciplines and sites. She will also oversee Project Management across all Ardena sites, supporting a consistent, science-driven and high-quality customer experience. In addition, she will continue to lead Ardena’s CMC Regulatory Affairs, helping customers navigate complex development pathways with regulatory strategies that support clinical and commercial approvals globally and across any modality.

“Scientific expertise is the foundation of how Ardena supports complex drug development, from drug substance and drug product through to bioanalysis, nanomedicines, solid-state chemistry and CMC regulatory services,” said Ariane de Ganck, Chief Scientific Officer at Ardena. “I am honoured and excited to take on this role and work with our teams to build on that foundation, foster scientific exchange and support the continued application of Ardena’s knowledge across complex development programs.”

The announcement coincides with the launch of Ardena’s refreshed brand identity and new tagline, We know development™, reflecting the company’s specialist development expertise and strong track record, customer focus and deep understanding of the complex development pathways that bring innovative therapies closer to patients.

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#Ardena #ramarketing ##Pauto

First step toward digitalisation for life science.

Körber have announced its additional MES (Manufacturing Execution System) solution PAS-X Neo which is specifically designed to enable small and mid sized pharmaceutical companies and sites to digitalise shop floor operations quickly, effectively, and with a clear path for future growth. With this additional MES product, the first version of which will be available in November 2026, the company extends its existing PAS-X portfolio with for example PAS-X MES, PAS-X Savvy or AI solutions and enables an easy entry into PAS-X and the Körber Ecosystem to life science manufacturers that want to start small and scale as their business grows.

Many pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturers still rely on paper based or fragmented shop floor processes. This leads to manual errors, inefficiencies, and increased compliance risk. At the same time, limited internal IT, validation, and MES capacities make digitalisation projects difficult to start and hard to sustain.

The PAS-X Neo is a purpose built MES for small and mid sized companies and sites designed to address these challenges. It builds on a lean, standardised, cloud native architecture with essential GMP functionality, enabling cost-efficient operations, low IT complexity, and regulatory compliance. The solution is designed for fast implementation and provides a right sized entry point into PAS-X and the Körber Ecosystem.

“We will deliver a world-leading MES platform that makes enterprise-grade innovation accessible to small and mid-sized pharmaceutical manufacturers and sites, empowering them to operate digital, connected and regulatory-compliant from day one. By bringing together cloud-native architecture, AI-powered tooling, and deep domain expertise across MES and line-level operations, we are shaping the next era of pharmaceutical manufacturing and expanding our leadership in the fast-growing Tier-2 and Tier-3 market,” says Oliver Weber, EVP Software, Körber Business Area Pharma.

“Digitalization in pharma must not be an all or nothing decision,” adds Pierrick Lebigre, Vice President Product, Software, Körber Business Area Pharma. “With our new PAS-X Neo, we bring the proven quality, compliance, and reliability of our flagship product PAS X MES into a right sized, cloud native solution. This gives manufacturers a simple, secure and future-proof first step into MES based operations.”

Customers benefit from fast time to value. The goal is to implement the software within less than two months using standardised templates, minimal configuration effort, and AI support. Pharma grade compliance is built in from day one, including ALCOA+, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, audit trails, and electronic signatures. The SaaS delivery model reduces effort and total cost of ownership. No local infrastructure is required, and pre-validated building blocks reduce the validation effort. The solution complements Körber’s flagship PAS-X MES and in future will provide benefits in terms of interoperability between MES systems across different sites, as well as a clearly defined upgrade path.

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@WerumKarrierec #Koerber  #PAuto #MES #Pharma  

New drug discovery & development head.

The appointment of Henning Steinhagen as Chief Executive Officer has been announced by Symeres, the leading transatlantic CRDMO for drug discovery and development. This marks a key transition as the company scales its operations and broadens its market reach.

Dr Henning Steinhagen

Dr. Steinhagen succeeds Guillaume Jetten, who has served as CEO and played a key role in strengthening the company’s operational and scientific foundations during a period of growth and transformation.

The appointment marks a planned transition in leadership structure to continue to build on the company’s success. A combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions has led Symeres to evolve into a fully integrated transatlantic partner, bringing together more than 500 scientists across nine global sites with decades of multidisciplinary expertise in chemistry, biology, ADME-tox and CMC. Dr Steinhagen has a strong scientific background and commercial experience to drive positive business impact for Symeres in its next phase of growth.

Building on this foundation, Dr. Steinhagen will focus on advancing Symeres’ vision of being a crucial partner from discovery through development with its “One Symeres” integrated platform that serves strategic partnerships across biotech and pharma. His scientific background also aligns with the company’s widely recognised scientific expertise.

As a seasoned CEO, board director and R&D executive, Dr. Steinhagen brings more than 25 years of experience across pharma, biotech and the CRO/CDMO sector. He joins from Lario Therapeutics, where he served as CEO and co-founder, as well as Venture Partner at Epidarex Capital. His previous positions include President R&D at Aptuit, where he was a key member of the leadership team responsible for the company’s growth and successful sale to Evotec AG in 2017. Prior to that he acted as SVP and Head of Global Drug Discovery at Grünenthal and held senior roles at Sanofi-Aventis and Bayer Pharma.

Henning Steinhagen holds a PhD in Chemistry and earned an executive MBA degree from the IMD in Lausanne in 2018.

“I was drawn to Symeres because of its unique capabilities and legacy in delivering and supporting biopharma from inception to IND,” said Dr. Steinhagen. “The team brings together deep scientific depth and a way of working that is genuinely collaborative and responsive.”

He added: “With strong foundations in place, the opportunity ahead is to fully realize and unlock the power of integrated services across chemistry and biology. The goal is to create best-in-class solutions to rapidly advance even the most challenging programs for the benefit of our customers and ultimately patients.”

“Recently, we have made strong progress in bringing together our teams, capabilities and culture into one organization,” said Guillaume Jetten. “We are now seeing clear validation from our customers, who value the continuity, scientific depth and collaborative approach we offer. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and confident that Dr. Steinhagen will build on this momentum and lead Symeres through its next phase of growth.”

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#symeres #Pharma 

Connected advisory solutions.

Inizio Ignite, a reimagined, fully integrated advisory partner designed to accelerate pharma performance through strategy, insights, and innovation has been unveiled by Inizio..

Inizio Ignite brings together Research Partnership, Putnam, Vynamic, and STEM to address the growing complexity of today’s pharmaceutical environment. Purpose-built and AI-enabled, Inizio Ignite helps clients shape strategy, drive scalable transformation, and deliver measurable impact uniting connected expertise and advanced technology platforms into a single advisory solution designed to deliver greater impact for clients and the patients they serve.

It operates as part of the company's broader global commercialisation platform, enabling clients to seamlessly access deep, cross-functional expertise across the entire product lifecycle. With more than 10,500 experts in over 50 countries, Inizio brings together scientific, medical, commercial, analytics, and technology capabilities to help clients solve complex challenges in a flexible, client-centred way – from strategy through execution.

Focused exclusively on life sciences and healthcare, Inizio Ignite integrates Inizio’s former Advisory capabilities to create one of the largest and most specialised advisory partners in the sector. With more than 1,000 experts, including 100 PhD, PharmD, and MDs across more than 50 countries, Inizio Ignite advises clients across more than 20 therapy and disease areas and has partnered on 1,100 assets with all top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Across the product lifecycle, from early development through post-launch, Inizio Ignite supports data-driven portfolio and launch strategies, embeds advanced analytics, and translates insight into execution – delivering Intelligent Commercialisation™ as part of Inizio’s end-to-end platform.

“By uniting our teams, we’re creating something new – an integrated partner bringing together the insight, strategy, and transformation support that pharma companies need to win in today’s market. This evolution represents a meaningful shift in how we serve our clients, delivering clearer answers, stronger guidance, and faster impact for the patients who rely on them," said Remco op den Kelder, Global President of Inizio Ignite,
“With a seamlessly connected team, clients benefit from deeper expertise and broader capabilities at every stage of their journey. This transformation strengthens our ability to drive innovation at scale, pairing clarity and precision with the speed required to turn strategy into real-world impact. It positions us to advance the next generation of treatments and to help shape the future of human health.”

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@inizio_Ignite @RAMarketing #Pauto #Pharma

Innovative HMI platform for maximum system integration.

The new GOT3000 HMI  from Mitsubishi, enables convenient and transparent access to relevant process data. In addition to the open communication standard OPC UA (client/server), the system supports the real-time capable CC- Link IE TSN network, which enables a consistent and high-performance connection to all Mitsubishi Electric components. This allows the HMI to be seamlessly integrated into existing automation environments and provides a future-proof basis for networked production structures.

For remote access, Mitsubishi Electric relies on a powerful and secure VPN solution. In collaboration with cybersecurity expert Secomea, an encrypted, reliable, and user-friendly remote connection is provided, offering users maximum connectivity and the highest security standards. Thanks to USB, direct connection of network cameras, and HDMI output, the HMI becomes a multimedia access point for machine operation, visualization, and system monitoring. The devices are therefore suitable both for the machine level and as a gateway to higher-level systems such as MES or cloud platforms.

With GOT-Mobile, GOT3000 offers the option of making HMI pages and information available to other end devices. With the new integrated NFC tag feature, a mobile device can access GOT-Mobile pages directly. This is particularly helpful during commissioning or maintenance work, as important information for larger systems can be displayed directly on site.

Efficient engineering and seamless system integration.
A key feature of the new series is its consistent user-friendliness. Existing projects from the previous GOT series can be transferred without any major adjustments. The familiar engineering tools and proven development environment enable a quick start. New features such as dynamic screen animations and precise multi-touch operation provide a modern look and feel – combined with the robustness required for continuous industrial use.

In cooperation with the new MX controller from Mitsubishi Electric, the integrated all-in-one platform for motion and sequence control, communication between the HMI and the controller can be further optimized. This combination reduces interfaces, speeds up project planning, and improves system performance. In addition, existing controllers and networks—including older protocols—continue to be supported, ensuring investment protection and flexibility.

Visual precision for maximum process reliability.
The new display in the GOT3000 series displays up to 16 million colors and impresses with its excellent image sharpness and brightness. The capacitive touchscreen with a robust glass surface allows intuitive operation with common gestures such as swiping, zooming, and tapping.

Live video streams can be integrated for realistic process visualization. Connected network cameras allow process areas to be visually monitored, recorded, and evaluated. The simultaneous display of live images and recordings greatly facilitates error analysis and shortens response times in the event of a malfunction.

This makes the GOT3000 HMI not only an input station, but also a fully- fledged analysis tool during operation – especially in complex applications with high requirements for availability and transparency.

An HMI for a wide range of applications
The GOT3000 series is designed for demanding industries such as automotive manufacturing, semiconductor production, the pharmaceutical industry, and materials logistics. Thanks to its compact design, broad communication support, and high screen quality, it is suitable for both classic machine operation and demanding monitoring and integration tasks.

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@ME_Europe @MEIrishbranch @MitsubishiElect @meuk_les #PAuto #HMI

Drug discovery and development company appointment.

Symeres has announced the appointment of Jurgen Berendsen as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), marking a significant return to the company after a successful tenure as Senior Group Controller.

Jurgen Berendsen

Berendsen brings more than 15 years of financial leadership experience across both professional services and international trade sectors, including time at KPMG, Hoogwegt International, and most recently Royal Reesink, where he served as Vice President of Finance and Control. He returns to Symeres at a pivotal time, driven by a strong belief in the company’s mission and potential. Berendsen brings not only deep institutional knowledge, but also valuable external perspective gained from leading finance functions in other complex organisations.

“Returning to Symeres as CFO is an extremely exciting opportunity,” said Jurgen Berendsen. “Symeres has all the ingredients for long-term growth and success. I am proud to join a strong and dedicated leadership team who is unwaveringly committed to delivering optimal outcomes for customers, employees, and shareholders alike.”

Berendsen previously joined Symeres in 2022 to take on the newly created role of Group Financial Controller. During his time at the company, he played a key role in the implementation of major transformation programs, including finance systems (ERP) upgrades, compliance initiatives, and business continuity planning. His close collaboration with the board and hands-on approach during the company’s restructuring phase earned him wide respect across the organisation.

“Jurgen’s appointment comes at a critical moment for Symeres as we strengthen our operational and financial foundations to scale more effectively,” said Guillaume Jetten, CEO of Symeres. “He combines strategic vision with a deep understanding of our business and culture. His return brings continuity and a partner mindset that will benefit the whole organisation.”

In his new role, Berendsen will oversee financial operations across Symeres’ global footprint, working closely with the executive team to support sustainable growth. His focus will be on building financial resilience, driving operational integration across sites in the Netherlands, Finland, and the U.S., and championing transparency and trust, both internally and with clients.

Reflecting on his decision to return, Berendsen cited a belief in the mission and a shared vision for how Symeres can adapt to market challenges and emerge stronger. “The tone at the top is vital, but equally important is how we translate that transparency and accountability across every customer interaction,” he said.

With an ambition to drive long-term customer partnerships and innovate, such as AI and integrated delivery models, Berendsen’s financial stewardship is expected to be instrumental in Symeres’ evolution as a best-in-class partner for biopharma organisations worldwide.

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#Symeres #Pharma #research

Nitrogen blanketing.

The quality and effectiveness of pharmaceutical products is critical to the industry and its users. To ensure quality stays intact, nitrogen is often used for packaging purposes and other processes inside the manufacturing facilities. Because nitrogen is an inert gas, it is often used to exclude or push oxygen out of certain areas, including packages and containers.

Pharmaceutical companies use a method called nitrogen blanketing to protect processes that are used to make their products. Nitrogen blanketing strategies are implemented during production, storage, transportation, and final packaging. Nitrogen blanketing involves adding nitrogen liquid or gas to fill the area between the fill line of a process storage vessel’s content and the top of that vessel. The nitrogen displaces the oxygen inside, which helps ensure that oxygen and moisture don’t contaminate the product or cause a potentially explosive situation due to excess oxygen.

The level of oxygen inside Manufacturing Facilities where nitrogen is used must be monitored because the same nitrogen used for oxygen displacement to preserve the valuable contents of the vessel could become deadly to the employees working in the room. Nitrogen leaks can cause the air in the room to become oxygen-deficient, which could cause employees to suffocate.

Nitrogen-Blanketing-SPA2 Application.
In the above application, an Oxygen Monitor is utilized in conjunction with a Moore Industries SPA2 Programmable Limit Alarm Trip to help avoid this potentially dangerous situation. The Oxygen Monitor provides the oxygen level input to the SPA2 from the inside of the room where the process is occurring.

The SPA2 provides two or four independent and individually configurable alarm relay outputs, one of which can be designated to shut off the flow of nitrogen supply when the Oxygen Monitor detects low oxygen in the room; which could be caused by a nitrogen leak in the Process Storage Tank. An E-stop can also be wired in series so that operators can shut off the nitrogen supply manually. The other SPA2 relays can be used to alert employees by being wired to audible and visual warnings. The optional AO analog output on the SPA2 transmits the real-time Oxygen Monitor readings to a PLC/BPCS host system.

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@MII_Worldwide #PAuto #Pharma

Technology division formed.

Walls Construction has established a new subsidiary, Walls Technology Limited. This division will provide construction, technical and mission-critical services to clients in Ireland and abroad, in the Data Centres, Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, Infrastructure and Energy/Renewables sectors.

This latest development is part of the company’s growth strategy, further enhancing its expertise and range of services, and reinforcing its positioning as one of Ireland’s leading building contractors.

“Over the past 75 years, we have completed major projects across various sectors, including Pharmaceutical, Life Sciences, Industrial, Process, Manufacturing and Healthcare,” acknowledged Frank Kelly, Executive Chairman and Adrian Corcoran, Managing Director.

“In recent years our turnover has grown significantly, notably in large-scale residential projects, and now, in line with our planned growth in Ireland and abroad, establishing our technology sector operations as a distinct division is well timed.”

“The leadership team is highly experienced and currently managing projects including a major data centre complex for Echelon Data Centres in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, a medical device facility extension to Bausch & Lomb’s operations in Waterford and, through its overseas subsidiaries, Walls Technology is also engaged in Data Centre projects in the Benelux region of Europe.”

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@WallsConstruct #PAuto

New COO to drive transatlantic growth.

Strengthens organisation for drug discovery and development.

Symeres has appointed Gabriella Gentile as Chief Operating Officer (COO). This strategic addition to the executive team supports Symeres’ transatlantic growth ambitions, building upon its strong foundations in existing and novel modalities.

Gabriella Gentile

Gabriella brings more than 25 years of international experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and services industries. She has held senior roles at Catalent, Roche and Aptuit, where she led major transformation programs focused on operational performance, lean methodologies, and change management.

In her new role, Gabriella will lead the transformation of global operations at Symeres, focusing on expanding capabilities across the pharmaceutical value chain from inception to investigational new drug (IND). She will apply her proven leadership to align business operations with measurable performance outcomes, reinforcing Symeres’ commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

“I’m delighted to join Symeres at this exciting time in their growth," said Gabriella Gentile, “Symeres operates under a cultural philosophy of openness and transparency, and I look forward to being part of developing new next generation therapies”. She added, “I am ambitious in my expectations of how my global operational experience can positively impact Symeres’ growth targets and I’m committed to delivering outstanding customer experiences. Symeres’ growth trajectory makes this an exciting time to join.”

Guillaume Jetten, Symeres CEO, added “I’m delighted that Gabriella has accepted this position. ‘Gabriella brings a set of highly relevant skills and experience from both her background in medicinal chemistry, but also her decades of large Pharma and biotech experience that will support the future growth plans of Symeres”. 

Most recently, Gabriella served as global improvement director at Catalent, where she developed and implemented standardized operational frameworks across multiple sites. Prior to that, she consulted independently on global change and operational excellence programs, helping organizations improve performance and implement strategic business initiatives.

Her appointment marks another significant step in Symeres’ expansion strategy, as the company positions itself as a global biotechnology leader bridging European innovation and American market presence.

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 #symeres #Pharma #Americas

Seamless scale integration.

Bizerba, the global leader in industrial scales and precision scales, has been officially recognised as a “Ready” level partner in Körber’s PAS-X Weigh & Dispense technology partner program. This certification underscores both companies’ commitment to delivering seamless integration for use cases in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Fred Köhler

“Our high-performance weighing technology is a trusted part of pharmaceutical production. Through our partnership with Körber, we enable a seamless connection between our industrial scales and PAS-X MES for weighing and dispensing processes. This gives our customers direct, digital control over critical weighing steps – with fewer manual interventions and maximum process reliability. The result is real added value in everyday production: precise, efficient, and fully compliant,” said Fred Köhler, Managing Director Business Unit Industry at Bizerba.

The partnership enables faster and more reliable integration of Bizerba’s weighing technology with Körber’s PAS-X MES – the industry-leading Manufacturing Execution System. By establishing standardised interfaces between the two systems, enabling plug-and-play connectivity, the collaboration helps pharmaceutical manufacturers streamline their critical weighing and dispensing processes.

Precise weighing of input materials according to formula specifications is central to pharmaceutical production. PAS-X MES guides operators through this process while ensuring compliance with safety regulations and recipe requirements. Seamless scale integration is essential – a capability strengthened this partnership with a leading provider of industrial and precision scales. Bizerba’s technology ensures accurate weight measurements, supporting both quality control and operational efficiency.

“This partnership is valuable for our joint customers in the pharma industry as it simplifies the integration of PAS-X MES with Bizerba’s weighing portfolio through a standardised interface,” said Lars Hornung, Senior Principal Alliances & Technology Partners Software at Körber Business Area Pharma. “The collaboration reflects Körber’s broader strategy of building an ecosystem of technology partners around PAS-X MES to enable customers to implement best-in-class system architectures using standard interfaces to further accelerate their digital transformation journey.”

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@WerumKarrierec @BizerbaUSA #Koerber #PAuto #MES #Pharma

Manufacturing execution system as a first.

Eurofarma Laboratórios has successfully transitioned all of its manufacturing operations at the main production facility in Itapevi, São Paulo to Körber’s PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System – becoming the first national company in Brazil to do so. The implementation paves the way to operational excellence, enabling real-time data access, full traceability, and enhanced regulatory compliance.

Eurofarma’s main production facility
 Itapevi, São Paulo, BZ

At the Itapevi site, Eurofarma manufactures a wide range of products, including generics, oncology medicines, OTC drugs, and veterinary products – all of which were previously produced through manual processes. These numerous manual tasks, supported by thousands of paper documents, needed to be replaced with digital workflows.

“To achieve a digital Factory of Excellence, Eurofarma chose PAS-X MES from Körber,” says Daniel Bosso Gonçalves, Vice President Latin America Software, Körber Business Area Pharma. “The company once again takes the lead in the region, by overcoming the challenging transformation of its manufacturing processes, shifting from manual, paper-based operations to a fully digital environment, enhancing quality, efficiency, and visibility, and setting the stage for sustained innovation.”

Today, over 200 workstations are using Electronic Batch Recording (EBR), covering the entire process from warehouse distribution to final packaging. This spans five buildings and multiple production types. The implementation also includes digital equipment setup, cleaning processes, and electronic logbooks.

“We’re celebrating a major milestone in our digital transformation journey with the successful implementation of PAS-X MES at our facility,” says Allan Santiago, Director of Global Quality at Eurofarma. “This achievement marks a new era of operational excellence, enabling real-time data access, full traceability, and enhanced regulatory compliance. By replacing manual processes with digital workflows, we’ve significantly reduced errors and improved efficiency. For the Quality team, this means faster, data-driven decisions and stronger audit readiness.”

Eurofarma partnered effectively with Körber, leveraging their project management expertise and coordination of a multidisciplinary team. Key users from various departments – including Quality, Production, Automation, IT, and Manufacturing Excellence – were strategically involved throughout the project.

The digitalization project was rolled out in different phases. The initial phase focused on deploying PAS-X MES in weighing and dispensing areas including connectivity with digital scales, and the manipulation steps through to final filling and packaging for a small family of products/, all these also integrated with SAP. This phase was completed in just eight months from project kickoff to go-live. Subsequent phases extended coverage to all other processes, products, and recipes, ultimately achieving full digital integration.

As part of the MES project, more than 20,000 Master Batch Records (MBRs) were designed, providing comprehensive control over operations, equipment usage, and material tracking. All operator interactions are now conducted digitally, ensuring full compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 11.

“We now operate a fully digitalized factory capable of producing thousands of batches per month, across various forms and presentations, in a harmonized and transparent way,” adds Marilene Narciso, Digital Project Manager at Eurofarma. “With PAS-X MES, we have a robust tool that enables Eurofarma to reach new levels of maturity, integrating elements of Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence as we move forward.”

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@WerumKarrierec @eurofarma #Koerber #PAuto #MES #Brazil 

Pharmaceutical filling machines standards achieved.

Rommelag has successfully achieved the “Ready” level certification in Körber’s PAS-X MSI Plug & Produce program. This certification confirms the compatibility of Rommelag’s aseptic filling machines with Körber’s PAS-X MES interface standards, enabling simplified, faster integration for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Marcel Gehrlein

With the PAS-X MSI Plug & Produce program, Körber’s Business Area Pharma offers a standardised approach to connect systems and equipment to its market-leading PAS-X MES. Rommelag’s newly certified “Ready” interface helps reduce custom engineering efforts and accelerates time-to-operation for customers looking to integrate Rommelag’s filling machines into digital manufacturing environments running PAS-X MES.

“This certification is a very useful step towards easier integration of our systems at our mutual customers,” said Lars Hornung, Senior Principal Alliances & Technology Partners Software at Körber Business Area Pharma. “At Körber, our goal is to minimise the complexity of system integration in our customers' production environments. Within the Körber Ecosystem, we collaborate with partners like Rommelag to enable integration based on standard interfaces to accelerate projects.”

“Achieving the ‘Ready’ certification is a significant milestone in our digitalisation journey. It confirms our commitment to seamlessly integrate our aseptic filling technology into PAS-X MES environments and demonstrates our commitment to open standards and customer-centric innovation. Together with Körber, we’re enabling pharmaceutical manufacturers to accelerate their digital transformation and reduce integration complexity – delivering real value from day one," said Marcel Gehrlein, Managing Director at Rommelag Digital GmbH.

This certification highlights the importance of collaboration in today’s increasingly connected pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape. It also reinforces the value of standardised interfaces and interoperable ecosystems in creating customer-centric, future-ready production solutions.

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@Koerber_BA_SC @WerumKarrierec #PAuto #Pharma

Large scale MES project.

Accelerating digital transformation with fast-tracked MES implementation.

GC Biopharma, a leading South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has partnered with Körber to implement a large-scale Manufacturing Execution System (MES) project across multiple sites. Set to go live within a year, the project marks one of Korea’s fastest MES rollouts, underscoring GC Biopharma’s focus on operational excellence and long-term growth.

Management teams from Körber Korea and GC Biopharma symbolically cutting a cake at the kick-off ceremony.

At the core of the initiative is the implementation of Körber’s PAS-X MES solution at three major manufacturing sites, including facilities producing Hunterase (a treatment for Hunter syndrome) and a range of plasma-derived therapies. The MES will serve as the digital backbone of operations, enabling real-time process visibility, batch traceability, seamless system integration, and enhanced global compliance.

“This MES project is not just about digitalization – it’s a bold step toward redefining manufacturing standards in Korea’s biopharmaceutical sector,” said Woong Shin, VP / Head of Quality Management at GC Biopharma. “Partnering with Körber reflects our shared commitment to innovation and responsibility in delivering high-quality therapies worldwide.”

The project follows a phased rollout plan, with a technical go-live scheduled in 10 months and commercial operations to begin in 14 months – a record pace for MES implementation in Korea’s complex biopharmaceutical sector. GC Biopharma expects to achieve a 25% reduction in batch cycle time, a 30% improvement in data review efficiency, and full compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU GMP Annex 11. With a focus on execution and accountability, the project addresses several critical objectives:

• System integration at scale: PAS-X MES will interface with a broad landscape of systems including SAP ERP, WMS, QMS, LMS, DMS, PBS, MBS, LIMS, and L2 platforms.
• Complex interconnectivity: Custom integrations will support unique business processes across systems to maximize enterprise value.
• Prime contractor leadership: As the main contractor, Körber is responsible for overall project execution, subcontractor coordination, and quality assurance.
• Standardization and quality control: A key goal is the alignment of processes and quality standards across diverse partner contributions.
• Localized expertise: All partners bring dedicated in-country teams to ensure high-quality delivery and responsive support.

“Delivering a project of this scale within such a compressed timeline demonstrates the strength of our partnership and shared ambition,” said Andrew Lee, Managing Director Korea, Körber Business Area Pharma. “We’re not just implementing a system – we’re building a foundation for digital excellence.”

“This collaboration showcases what can be achieved when expertise, trust, and ambition come together. With our global innovation capabilities and strong local execution, we are setting a new standard for fast, high-quality MES deployments in Asia’s pharmaceutical industry. I am proud of our teams for driving this digital transformation journey together with GC Biopharma,” said Oliver Weber, CEO Software, Körber Business Area Pharma.

The deployment is backed by a robust partner network:

• euBiz Solution leads level 2 system integration using COPA-DATA’s Zenon, OT network design (via Wenet), and validation.
• Shinsegae supplies core infrastructure solutions, including Nutanix-based MES servers.
• INiinno drives MES validation efforts to ensure full regulatory alignment.

This MES project is a cornerstone of GC Biopharma’s digital strategy and a catalyst for operational excellence and accelerated market responsiveness. Together, GC Biopharma and Körber are not only setting a new benchmark for MES adoption in Korea – they are defining the future of smart, agile, and compliant pharmaceutical manufacturing.

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@WerumKarrierec #Koerber  #GCBiopharma #PAuto #MES

Emerging technologies!

The Ireland Section's Emerging Technologies Conference 2025 was held in early April 2025 in Cork. It explored the upcoming technologies that are shaping the ICS industry particulary in the Pharma sector which is so innovative in the Munster (South of Ireland Province) area.

Industry leaders, experts and professionals, designers and users, met to explore the latest trends, innovations, and technologies shaping the future of automation.

Catching up!

The conference was very well attended and a large number of suppliers and consultatnt companies supported the event with small table top displays ath edge of the Conference area. During the breaks there was plenty of time for networking and discussion. As it was the first ISA event of any size since the restrictions of the Pandemic some years ago this interaction was more than appreciated by many renewing friendships and enjoying again face to face interaction.

A lot of this discussion centred on the new tarriff regulations announced the previous evening (Irish time) by the current USA Regime on the rest of the world with a palpable sigh of relief from those involved in the Pharma sector though tinged with some residual anxiety as to what might in store in the next few months.

The event was opened by Patrick Corbett, the newly elected* President of the Ireland Section of the International Society of Automation.

The event opened with a keynote presentation "Making Your Data Work For You!" co-presented by John McKeon and Patrick McCarthy, Gallarus Industry Solutions.

Michael Lawlor and Conor O’Sullivan of Sanofi discussed "Equipment Digital Twin – From Concept to Reality"

Some of the speakers in full flow!

Tom Doyle of Fortinet, a Platinum Sponsor of the event, then made their Showcase Presentation.

Ciarán Ó Drisceoil, Associate Director Digital Plant at Lilly gave a users view of the Challenges and opportunities of IT/OT integration in life sciences using ISA Standards (ISA 95).

Industrial AI – A New Industrial Revolution was the especially current topic from Deon van Aardt of AVEVA (SolutionsPT)

MTP was the subject addressed by Rockwell's Jim Butler with Enhancing Manufacturing Flexibility and Efficiency with Module Type Package.

Pio Murphy discussed the practical zapplication with "RTMS Digital Plant enabling Lilly Kinsale Operational Excellence." Kinsale is the location of a long established plant by the American Pharma company Eli Lilly.

Global software innovator Compucal's CEO, Dónal O'Sullivam, gave a study of an Asset Management Digital Transformation Project with Hanley Calibration Services.

A very interesting and relevent talk on today's innovation topic was "Upcoming Regulation for Users to Test Safety Functions," was given by Services & Support Manager at Pilz, Michael Gyilfoyle. This is particularly relevent in view of regulations and directives eminating from the European Commission.

Networking at the edges!

Digitalisation, getting ready for renewable gas was the interesting talk given by Frank Smiddy from Gas Networks Ireland, where he showed just how far this is changing our use of fuels.

Finally Liam Deasy and Seán Wallace of NeoDyne examined Driving Success in Digital Transformation.

All in all ISA Ireland organising committee are to be congratulated on the smooth organisation of this event. It was a worthy successor to events like this organised by the section in its almos 50 years of existance and a good portent for future events.

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* See "Passing the Chain!" (18/3/2025)

@IrelandISA @ISA_Automation #PAuto #TandM #Pharma #Ireland 

Platform certified for MES.

The first partner in the newly established PAS-X Data Access category of the Körber Ecosystem Partner program has been named. This partnership, with eschbach, empowers pharmaceutical manufacturers to leverage PAS-X MES data in Shiftconnector for real-time transparency across teams and departments to increase operational efficiency and excellence.

Andreas Eschbach

"We are proud to be the first partner in Körber’s PAS-X Data Access category. By integrating PAS-X MES data with Shiftconnector, we’re unlocking new levels of transparency and efficiency. This collaboration enables pharma and biopharma enterprises to make faster, smarter decisions, driving operational excellence at every organizational level of manufacturing," said Andreas Eschbach, Chief Executive Officer at eschbach.

In today’s fast-evolving pharmaceutical landscape, manufacturers require integrated systems that streamline production, enhance efficiency, and enable data-driven decision-making. Körber’s PAS-X MES is a cornerstone of modern pharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring precise execution of production processes while capturing critical data for batch record release, analytics, and AI-driven insights. PAS-X Data Access provides an easy way to work with PAS-X MES data for further use cases and thus supports driving the digitalization of pharma production operations forward.

eschbach, headquarted in Bad Säckingen (D), with a subsidiary in Boston, (MA USA), brings its industry-leading Shiftconnector SaaS platform to tackle these challenges. By providing a centralized platform to monitor manufacturing status in real-time, Shiftconnector creates operational transparency and enhances collaboration among cleanroom operators, control room personnel, shift teams, quality control, and maintenance technicians. Its AI-driven capabilities accelerate access to manufacturing data and organizational knowledge, reducing inefficiencies and minimizing risk.

With nearly 100,000 users globally, eschbach’s Shiftconnector is a trusted solution for leading biopharma and pharmaceutical manufacturers. As a Körber Ecosystem Partner, the platform now seamlessly integrates PAS-X MES data – including production orders, downtime alerts, and deviation reporting – delivering unparalleled insights and operational improvements.

“We are excited to welcome eschbach as our first PAS-X Data Access Partner,” declared Lars Hornung, Senior Principal Alliances & Technology Partners Software at Business Area Pharma. “The introduction of this new partnership category within Körber Partner Ecosystem, along with eschbach as our first partner, reinforces our commitment to fostering interoperable solutions. This collaboration enables manufacturers to unlock the full potential of their MES data, driving operational excellence and informed decision-making.”

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@WerumKarriere  #Koerber #Eschbach #Pharma #PAuto #MES