Future vision for chemical processing for pharma and specialty chemicals – modular plants using smart development and manufacturing tools

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ECONOMICS AND FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Focusing on value generation in the processing industries could lead to significant changes in how manufacturing will be done in the future. As shown by Ryan Air, evaluating value-generating steps can lead to fundamentally new approaches and to changed business models. Applying this concept in the chemical industry identifies value generation for batch reactors during filling and heating up, while on the other hand, emptying and cleaning only produces effort and costs. Here, the benefits of a continuous plant can be seen by continuously producing value.
The F3-Factory Project, a previous research project has identified the two most important factors for getting costs per produced kg down: 1. Process Intensification and 2. Universal Engineering Designs with the ability to be used more than once. Process intensification has nothing in common with process improvement. Process improvement optimizes existing approaches by doing the same thing just better. Process intensification aims to identify principles to do things differently by changing processing fundamentals.
The problem with major innovations is that they take time to be implemented, while small innovations can take place fast. Major innovations, by adopting new technologies, take decades to establish, like the switch from horse-based mobility to automotive mobility or establishing the internet. Doing things in a completely different way is sometimes disruptive to existing technologies or business models. It takes a long time for new technologies to be established and commonly accepted until a paradigm shift takes place. Manufacturing for fine chemicals and pharma synthesis has been dominated by batch reactors for more than a hundred years. A paradigm shift towards continuous manufacturing can generate more value in a shorter time. By executing chemistry in the best possible way, fundamental advantages can be generated. Economic benefits will drive the paradigm shift. However, the effort is sometimes high to realize the benefits.