Planning and building in the top class

Exterior view of B.Braun Medical AG

The first installed injection molding machines in the new cleanroom.

Cleanroom lock and entry opening for new injection molding machines

Injection molding machines in the cleanroom

When the internationally renowned medical technology company B. Braun Medical AG builds, the bar is set high for planners. For the expansion of production at the Escholzmatt site, IE Plast came out on top: with the full spectrum of planning expertise from a single source and industry-specific knowledge in logistics, automation, and cleanroom.

The B. Braun Group is one of the oldest and most successful globally oriented providers of high-quality pharmaceutical and medical technology products. The Swiss company B. Braun Medical AG now produces at the locations Escholzmatt, Sempach, and Crissier, with the plant built in 1973 in Escholzmatt in Entlebuch being the first production facility established in Switzerland. Over the years, the company continually invested in the Escholzmatt site, which today ranks among the most modern operations of the corporate group for the production of highly specialized plastic disposable articles.

The continuous expansion of the product portfolio and the planned introduction of new products and product systems prompted B. Braun Medical in 2014 to undertake a comprehensive expansion of production capacities in Escholzmatt. The overarching goal was to double the production capacities on the existing site, reorganize processes, and replace the existing sterilization with a new, more powerful system. Additionally, B. Braun Medical needed more space for the development of new technologies.

The Future Factory as a Guiding Principle

The catalog of requirements from B. Braun Medical for the new building part largely aligned with the vision of the Future Factory. Particularly demanded was a high degree of flexibility to respond at any time to a changing market environment and new technologies. Furthermore, the client aimed for the optimal level of automation and energy efficiency in production, thereby significantly reducing operating costs. In collaboration with IE planners, the specifications from the B. Braun Medical project team for an environmentally friendly and sustainable production facility of high quality were successfully implemented.

Regarding corporate architecture, B. Braun Medical has group-wide guidelines and design specifications. Among other things, the production facilities must blend discreetly or accentuate depending on the local situation and meet high aesthetic standards in appearance.

Everything from a Single Source by IE Plast

As part of a stringent selection process for project planning and execution, B. Braun Medical decided to realize the expansion with IE Plast, a company specializing in industrial building planning, based in Zurich and Munich. This offered the planners from IE Plast the opportunity to serve as general planner and bring their comprehensive expertise in all disciplines of modern industrial construction into play. The most compelling aspect for IE Plast was industry experience: the planning firm has demonstrated in numerous construction projects for the plastics processing industry both domestically and abroad that it is familiar with the complex manufacturing processes in medical technology and understands the industry-specific requirements and conditions for industrial production of plastic products under cleanroom conditions.

The basis for overall planning was the master plan for site development developed by B. Braun Medical in collaboration with IE Plast, which foresees a second expansion phase after the completion of the current project. As always with IE, planning followed the "inside-out" principle. The building concept is not dictated by the building mass but by operational processes. In January 2014, IE Plast began the overall planning of the expansion project. The planners followed the proven IE 4-phase model, starting with a feasibility study, followed by conceptual planning, system planning, and implementation.

Convincing Solutions for Intralogistics Challenges

Particularly demanding in the Escholzmatt expansion were the organization of intralogistics and integration of complex building services systems. The actual production process includes raw material supply and feeding the injection molding machines with polymer granulates, manufacturing of plastic components, product assembly, and packaging with primary and secondary packaging. Subsequently, palletizing and transferring the sterilizable products to sterilization follow.

State-of-the-Art Cleanroom and Building Services

In developing the cleanroom concept, IE Plast's planners relied on extensive experience and comprehensive expertise in cleanroom production. A tailored planning approach based on production-technical and spatial conditions led to a risk-based zone concept (up to ISO 8). The zones are defined so that primary packaging is located within the cleanroom — the much less critical secondary packaging is outside. Personnel flow is strictly separated from material flow; short walking distances increase productivity.

The building services concept was developed by the planners considering the specific requirements of the cleanroom and adjacent processing areas. It includes power supply, compressed air, cooling, ventilation, and air conditioning. In some cases, the new systems were linked with existing systems, and existing capacities were used efficiently. A particular challenge was the supply of the new sterilization system. Based on the specialized know-how of experts from B. Braun Melsungen AG and the equipment manufacturer, this critical installation was professionally designed and implemented with the involvement of IE planners.

In addition to planning and implementing the cleanroom, IE Plast, as a holistic partner, also handled qualification. This covered the entire cleanroom area, individual media, and raw material transportation.

Fully Automated Overall Process

The newly created production area of B. Braun Medical features a fully integrated and highly automated process from raw material receipt to finished goods dispatch. The plant control had to be integrated into the existing IT environment.

IE Expertise in Construction During Ongoing Operations

Constructing without interrupting operations is one of IE Plast's core competencies. Careful coordination of operational and construction workflows and close collaboration between plant managers and construction management ensured that existing production facilities never stopped. Thanks to phased construction and temporary facilities, the cleanroom status of existing production was maintained at all times. Production capacities were guaranteed throughout the entire construction period.

Ambitious Timeline

With dedication, high flexibility, and the concentrated deployment of all necessary industrial construction skills, IE Plast proved that planning and building in the top discipline of cleanroom production is possible even under extreme time pressure. The project planning began in mid-August 2014. By the end of January 2015, the conceptual design was advanced enough to submit the building application. In the first week of March, excavators arrived and began excavation work. The collaborative effort between the client and the general planner enabled the realization of the expansion in a record time of just under 18 months. On August 8, 2016, the new systems were operational, and on September 16, 2016, the new building was inaugurated during a ceremonial event attended by the owner family.

Prepared for Future Markets

In the newly created production spaces, B. Braun Medical manufactures, among other things, syringes for infusion pumps, the world's best-selling multi-use valve systems for infusion therapy, sampling ports for infusion bags, and other high-quality plastic products for medical technology. All under the motto "everything under one roof" — from development including prototype creation, to production, to technical support. The construction is a clear commitment by top management to the Swiss production site. Madeleine Stöckli, CEO of Braun Medical AG: "We benefit here from well-trained specialists with high flexibility and willingness to perform, combined with the political stability of the country."

Besides the consolidated expertise, industry experience, and flexibility of their proven planning partner, clients especially appreciate the reliability: IE Plast offers, in the role of general planner, cost, schedule, function, and quality guarantees — even, and especially, for complex industrial construction projects.