Where persistence took precedence
When UmicorE, a German-based company, approached us for their project, we found ourselves on the cusp of a dilemma. The organisation wanted to execute its chemical synthesis isolator project in Argentina. But, just by the initial thought of the project, it seemed infeasible to cater to its critical demands.
The oxygen level to be maintained was less than 2%, and the equipment required maintenance and monitoring below 48 degrees C. We knew that the road ahead was not going to be smooth.
As instinct would have it, we decided to take the plunge, being cognisant of the fact that apprehensions, even if sometimes reasonable, may make us miss many opportunities, apart from the learnings and experiences that come along.
In the end, confidence won over scepticism as we bagged the project over a European organisation.
A Mindful Action Plan
In no time, our expert team went cracking on this project. In light of the heat sensitivity of the product, we began preparing a vacuum tray dryer with a triple layer safety for heat source generation. We ensured to maintain and monitor the temperature within 48 degrees C. Furthermore, the isolator demanded round-the-clock functioning for 20 days. For this purpose, we undertook stress tests for all equipment to determine system capability and check out any possible failure. Our expert team carried out key project elements viz. conceptualisation, drawing preparation, ergo modelling, manufacturing, and FAT in a time-bound manner.
However, little did we know that just when we’ll be on the verge of installing the project, some other element would catch us off guard.
The Covid-19 pandemic took the world by storm, with the global lockdowns hitting us almost instantaneously. We were forced to leave the project incomplete and depart from the country in no time.
Needless to say, the timely completion of the project went for a toss.
An Adaptive Approach To Adversity
Amid this uncertainty, it was important to adapt to and live with the changes the pandemic was bringing along. We also trained our minds to do our best with our limited resources and capacity.
Thanks to technology, we spent the next few months calling and requesting the Argentinian embassy to consider the criticality of the project and enable us to complete the project. It took a while, but we finally received a technical visa and a go-ahead from the embassy to travel to the country and finish the installation.
For the next two months, our team were hands-on and ensured a continuous installation of all utilities and auxiliary equipment while duly following all covid-19 protocols.
It is safe to say that perseverance lead to the successful execution of the project.
The isolator today stands as a great success, with highly satisfactory customer feedback.
This was one of the most complex rescue projects Fabtech has worked on and one of the most rewarding.
Umicore SA Argentina turnkey Pharmaceutical Project
