News Aug 5, 2019

Setting the Standard for Pharma Facilities of the Future

The Pfizer Biotechnology Center in Hangzhou, China – designed by us – nabbed two ISPE Facility of the Year awards.

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Lobby of Pfizer facility

Pfizer’s new Biotechnology Center in Hangzhou, China, designed and engineered by Jacobs, can now add multi-award-winning to its growing list of accolades.

The $195 million, state-of-the-art facility won the Project Execution category and Facility Integration category for the 2019 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA), organized by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (IPSE).

We completed the facility, which produces high-quality, affordable biosimilar medicines for patients in China and globally, within 25 months of breaking ground.

Pfizer’s first modular biological production facility, the project particularly impressed judges as it was delivered within budget, to an unprecedented construction schedule and with an unmatched safety record in China. 

  • aerial view of pfizer plant china
  • people in safety vests and hard hats outside pfizer facility china

The accelerated schedule required a highly-integrated construction program, which involved concurrent commissioning, qualification and operation of the drug substance facility in the center of an active construction site. This level of flexibility, in addition to careful logistical planning and open communication of the schedule, generated an unprecedented speed of completion for the project.

“Jacobs is delighted to be recognized as Pfizer’s partner receiving two ISPE awards in recognition of our project work on the innovative Pfizer Biotechnology Center in Hangzhou, China,” said JacobsSenior Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Facilities and Federal Solutions Ken Gilmartin. “This relentless focus on safety and collaboration across the client and project team has paid dividends, with the center setting the standard for pharmaceutical facilities of the future.”

The Pfizer facility consists of a leading-edge drug substance manufacturing facility using single use disposable technology; a state-of-the-art drug product manufacturing facility with an integrated lyophilizer and isolator filling line, a high-bay warehouse and central utility and administration buildings that include offices, laboratories and a cafeteria.

The manufacturing facility was designed and built using a modular concept, which involved the fabrication, assembly, disassembly and shipping of 77 modules from Stuttgart, Germany, to Hangzhou, China. The three-floor product manufacturing facility, warehouse, central utilities building, and administration building were constructed using local materials and talent.

Pfizer’s 31,000-square-meter greenfield project in the Hangzhou Economic Development Area (HEDA) created more than 150 job opportunities and established biotechnology expertise that will help strengthen and promote innovation, as well as modernize China’s biopharmaceutical industry. Additionally, the Global Biotechnology Center was completed with a perfect safety record. More than 2.7 million hours of site activity were completed with zero time lost through injury.

The ISPE premier global awards program recognizes innovation and creativity in manufacturing facilities serving the regulated healthcare industry. Projects shortlisted for the FOYA awards set the standard for pharmaceutical facilities of the future by demonstrating excellence in facility design, construction and operations.