Since July 2009, Sapien Process Technologies has diversified. It became clear that the requirement for continuous processing equipment was not enough to support dedicated business in this space in the short term.

Instead, Sapien has diversified its business interests.

Sapien, or Sapien Innovations Ltd to be precise, is involved in a range of start-ups and high tech applications primarily coming from the Cambridge geographical area. As examples, these involve digital signage, cloud computing and iPhone applications. More details are available on the Sapien website.

In the meantime, Sapien Process Technologies does still exist. The resources, partnerships and contacts remain in place awaiting such a time when there is enough of a requirement.

We’ve set up a project on the Sapien Process Technologies project management software.

Follow this link and use these access details:-

Username: Guest
Password: Sapi3n

We’ve posted schematics / process & instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), 3D design models and photos. The schematics show the evolution of the P&IDs through the project itself.

At Sapien Process Technologies, we are very oftern complimented by our project management skills. In a project for Syngenta UK recently, we recently designed built and tested a Plug Flow Reactor in the space of 8 weeks.

On Line Project Management Software at Sapien

It has taken many years of experience to reach this point along a journey of easier and harder projects. As we all know, good project management is as much a science as it is an art. Each project is a different set of circumstances in a different context. The right execution is finding the best fit of the specification, time and cost requirements for the extended project stake holders.

On the innovative projects in the continuous processing space, excellent project management is even more a pre-requisite as one very often faces managing the project through an evolving specification.

At Sapien Process Technologies, the project management art form is good commmunication, regular but short reviews, and a communication ethos of openness. It’s as much about staying in touch with the project as not hindering its progress.

We adopt many useful tools like: teleconferencing, on-line screen PC sharing and online project management software. The project management software allows everybody on the extended project team to communicate, share documentation and control tasks.

Sapien Process Technologies worked with Brunel Univesity, Dynamic Extractions and GSK for a successful grant award from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) on the High Value Manufacturing Competition in 2009.

The project is entitled the Scalable Technology for the Extraction of Pharmaceuticals (STEP). It is based on the High Performance Counter Current Chromatography technology spun out by Ian Sutherland at the Advance Bioprocessing Centre of Brunel University (http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/bib/22) and developed as a commercial enterprise by David Keay (CEO) at Dynamic Extractions (http://www.dynamicextractions.com/).

When Sapien was first involved with discussions with pharmaceutical end-users, it had an immediately positive response from major manufacturers like GSK and Genzyme.

For more information, contact either us or any of the respective names above.

After the recent seminar earlier this month, GSK advised the following release of information:-

GSK described its Innovative Manufacturing Initiative which includes a modular pilot plant based at Stevenage UK. The pilot plant was designed to produce API’s on an equivalent 3-5 tpa scale and was fully commissioned in 2008. GSK see continuous processing as the opportunity to lower the capital cost of new plant and bring enhanced control of process parameters; it is one of the company’s ongoing QbD initiatives.

Dr. Berry described continuous processing as an enabling tool – “Turning a batch process into a continuous process requires an elevated level of process understanding and capital investment in new plant. Whilst the benefits for going continuous can be clear, the end result with the current industry surplus of batch capacity is often a better batch process using existing assets. Therefore it is very important to understand the business case for moving to continuous processes and to understand where the savings and benefits really are.”

After the recent seminar earlier this month, Phoenix Chemicals advised the following release of information:-

Phoenix runs a totally continuous cyanation plant at Bromborough, UK (capacity 300 tonnes per year). Dr. Proctor said the plant brings significant cost, safety and environmental benefits versus a batch equivalent. The development of the plant included Variable Residence Time technology (VRT) in the scale-up. VRT is manufactured under license by Sapien Process Technologies.

After the recent Sapien Process Technologies seminar earlier this month, Genzyme advised the following release of information:-

Genzyme has a continuous processing plant in production at Haverhill, UK (capacity >500 tons per year). It incorporates Nitech tubular baffled reactor technology instead of traditional high pressure batch reactors. Peter McDonnell indicated the benefits of the continuous plant which include lower capex and opex, speed of construction, low footprint and ease of adding further capacity if required. The plant has been through successful pre-approval inspections with both FDA and MHRA and is currently ramping up to nameplate capacity.

In February 2009, Sapien Process Technologies held an seminar for end-user on continuous processing for primary pharmaceutical manufacture.

Over 50 people attended from across Europe and around the world. The four main speakers were all leading innovators in this area: Peter McDonnell (Genzyme, UK), Lee Proctor (Phoenix Chemicals, UK), Malcolm Berry (GSK, UK) and Rick McCabe (Pfizer, US).

A message from the pioneers was that continuous processing definitely had its benefits, but sometimes not where expected. The skill is knowing when and how to adopt it.

Steve Hales from Sapien Process Technologies said ‘there was a lot of leading edge knowledge in the room today. These firms are finding the way of when and how to adopt continuous processing. They are clearly leaders in their fields’.

This is a space to watch.

The event was hosted at Newton Hall and sponsored by London Fluid Systems, Bronkhorst UK, Dockweiler UK, Sulzer, Chemineer Inc and Michael Smith Engineers Ltd.

Sapien Process Technologies will hold a seminar for primary manufacturers interested in continuous processing on Tuesday 10th February 2009 in Cambridge, UK. There are 4 key speakers who are all heavily involved in the adoption of continuous processing for primary manufacturing of pharmaceuticals:-

Peter McDonnell – Genzyme, UK
Lee Proctor – Phoenix Chemicals, UK
Malcolm Berry – GSK, UK
Rick McCabe – Pfizer, US

Evolution of bespoke Plug Flow Reactor

Sapien has recently manufactured a high pressure continuous processing Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) for Syngenta. The pilot plant unit operates at up to 100 barg and over 250 deg C.

Syngenta sees this as an enabling technology for staying at the cutting edge of technology and science development.

This was a fast turn around project: from order to shipment, including detailed design and factory acceptance testing, was 8 weeks.