Form, Function, and Savvy Technology

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INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER – VOLUME 38, NUMBER 10
BY CANDI S. CROSS

Baxter BioPharma Solution’s Phase IV Vial and Syringe Filling were named 2006 Facility of The Year by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering. What made this facility deserved said award is its design. It used to be a music distribution center, and now it is a full pledged syringe filling plant. The building consists of several modules. This modular design is made in Sweden, a place far away from its current location in Bloomington. Every part of it, like concrete floor, piping, structural steel, basically everything was then shipped to Bloomington and built there.

Having a modular facility has its own advantage. Since construction is kind of akin to a process of building something out of Lego blocks, its impact on environment is greatly reduced. It is also easier for the company to remodel their factory because adding other modules will not disturb the work process in the main building.