Pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici (FIS) has selected Emerson to digitise operations and work processes at three manufacturing sites in Italy.
With the $20m (€16.1m) contracts, Emerson will provide automation technology to help create a fully electronic manufacturing environment for increased efficiencies, quality and regulatory compliance.
The general manager of FIS Franco Moro said: “It is vital that FIS develops the right relationship to help it expand operations in a measured and prudent manner.
“Working with Emerson provides FIS with a trusted partner as we digitise work processes and invest in automation to improve production and efficiency.”
As part of its growth strategy, FIS constructed a new $123m (€100m) unit at its Termoli site, doubling capacity to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients. Emerson will implement its Syncade™ manufacturing execution system (MES) at the Termoli site and the Montecchio facility, providing automated workflows and paperless procedures and record-keeping.
Paperless manufacturing improves production efficiency and offers widespread benefits in compliance, product quality, inventory and document control, which are critical in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry.
The two companies have partnered before. Emerson provided its DeltaV™ distributed control system to monitor and control manufacturing at the Termoli site in 2017. As part of this latest agreement, Emerson will expand the automation system to incorporate additional measurement and control instrumentation. By standardising on DeltaV across its Termoli, Montecchio and Lonigo sites, FIS aims to improve efficiency and ensure consistent operations.
Executive president of Emerson Automation Solutions Mike Train said: “This project reinforces Emerson’s strong relationship with FIS and, as a trusted advisor, we will continue to support its business objectives on a long-term basis.
“Our expertise will help FIS further automate work processes and boost profitability across these three sites as part of a companywide digital transformation strategy.”
The contracts are part of a ten-year strategic framework agreement signed with Emerson for the supply of its DeltaV and Syncade systems, measurement instrumentation and control valves, as well as a ten-year service agreement that covers the control systems at all three sites plus the new MES systems at Termoli and Montecchio.