Practical Application of Smart Maintenance at Takeda
A better health and a brighter future for everybody. Takeda makes it happen and has been doing so for more than 240 years. The result of an innovative and sustainable approach. The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated, which makes maintenance no easy task. However – with the right vision, approach and tools, anything is possible. This is demonstrated by the Maintenance Team of the Lessines site.
Takeda is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Pioneer in the development of new treatments and therapies in several therapeutic areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Always putting the patient first, always creating added value for society.
Factory of the Future
Today, we take a look at the biotechnological production site in Lessines, specialized in manufacturing plasma-derived therapies for people with rare and complex chronic diseases. Takeda Lessines won the ‘Technical Team of the Year Award’ in Wallonia, a well-deserved recognition for their maintenance management practices and results. Head of Maintenance Giovanni Seggio is one of the keynote speakers at the Asset Performance Conference, where he will share concrete examples of Smart Maintenance. We already had the opportunity to interview him and gain some valuable insights.
Teamwork x Technology
Giovanni Seggio: “Our manufacturing site in Lessines employs over 1,200 people. We are a Centre of Excellence for the purification of immunoglobulins, with filling and packaging capacity for plasma-derived therapies, and packaging capacity for hematology products serving more than 250,000 patients in over 80 countries. With such a significant responsibility, ensuring the continuity of our production is of utmost importance, alongside ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety. Production runs 24/7, 365 days a year, making cost-effectiveness and efficiency essential focal points. It’s a delicate balance of reducing one while maximizing the other. Effective monitoring is the key, and technology plays a vital role in achieving this. Additionally, our drive to continuously improve and share knowledge with the world has been the driving force behind our participation in the Award and now the Conference. We have a lot to showcase, and hard work is continuously put in at our site.”
Asset Investment Management Program
The mix of human work and technology works. “Real teamwork allows the Maintenance Department to meet the challenge of managing a growing number of installations which increased fivefold between 2016 and 2022. Operational performance was also improved, with a drastic reduction in emergency interventions and 99% on-time operations. All this thanks to our collective approach to maintenance, based on priority setting”, says Giovanni Seggio.
Meanwhile, the Maintenance Team has visibility into all costs and assets. Behind it lies a robust Asset Investment Management Program, supported by measurement and analysis techniques for evaluating asset health status. But there is more, such as a modern vision. After all, what is a program without vision?
AI and everybody is on board
A modern vision is focused on the future. At Takeda, it is inseparably linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI), the next step in their digitization process. This ensures equipment monitoring through data, simultaneously and permanently, as a part of Smart Maintenance. Interventions, assets, and costs are fully balanced and under control. The Lessines site serves as a pilot project, and its success will pave the way for further implementation within the Takeda group.
Giovanni Seggio emphasizes: “Data are essential, but our people are equally crucial. We have a wealth of expertise among our colleagues, and it is through contextualization that we can optimize our maintenance processes using data. This principle applies to all departments. We provide training for our employees; everyone is on board. We believe in giving our people the opportunity to embrace digitization and find harmony, ensuring AI is used correctly. Our digital transformation is in full swing, and our digital playground keeps expanding. Moreover, we look outward to external researchers, start-ups, and our ecosystem to continue innovating. We are committed to sharing our expertise.”
Sustainable Smart Maintenance
So, Smart Maintenance with AI, always infused with a sustainable touch. “We constantly question the sustainability of our maintenance approach – it’s ingrained in our DNA. Our efforts are definitely being appreciated. The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has granted the 2023 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) to Takeda in the Social Impact category. We were recognized for accelerating a shift to sustainable facility design, aimed at ensuring the effective use of energy, minimizing waste, reducing carbon footprint, incorporating green manufacturing techniques and reducing the environmental impact at our plasma-derived therapies production site in Lessines. We are one of the most advanced sites with regard to digitalization and the reduction of environmental impact of manufacturing operations. We were the first in the global Takeda manufacturing network to pioneer a waste water treatment system enabling us to reduce our freshwater consumption by 50 percent, a reduction of 1 million litres per day for the whole site”, concludes Giovanni Seggio.
A game-changer for sure. The Takeda approach is also inspiring for other Asset Performance Teams. Come and see for yourself during the Asset Performance Conference.
Your keynote speaker: Giovanni Seggio, Head of Maintenance, Takeda Lessines