EPM’s first visit to TechnoPharm and POWTECH
The EPM team has just returned from the TechnoPharm and POWTECH show in Nuremberg. It was our first time at the event and in Bavaria’s second largest city, which dates back to the 11th century and is famous for the post-WWII Nuremberg trials.
Unfortunately, the Lufthansa strike meant that a good many visitors were delayed and, as a number of exhibitors pointed out, the first morning was a little on the quiet side. However, traffic had begun to increase by the afternoon and was significantly better on the second day.
The Nuremberg Messe was described by many exhibitors I spoke with as a ‘compact’ venue. All halls are located directly next to one another (going round in an oval kind of layout), making it easier and less tiring for us visitors to navigate.
Being a typical sun-depraved Brit, I have to of course mention the weather, which started out around 20–21˚C at the beginning of the week, rising to 27–28 on the day we left. Many visitors took a break from pounding the halls to sit out and enjoy the sun. I spotted a couple of ‘suited and booted’ gents lying on the grass, briefcases cast aside, soaking up the rays.
In terms of new product launches, there were disappointingly not that many, but as several people I spoke to pointed out, this was not ACHEMA and companies tend to schedule their announcements for this, must larger and more international show. Glatt’s Achim Glockner, stated: “This show is more for German speaking customers.” His opinion was reiterated by a number of other exhibitors.
I was however given the lowdown on a few ‘new’ and worthy of mention products. Gebr. Lödige Mashinenbau used POWTECH to introduce its Ploughshare Batch Mixer FKM 200 for the preparation of bulk material. Key selling points are low maintenance, short mixing times and high reproducibility. The FKM 200 incorporates Lödige’s mechanically-generated turbulent fluidised bed concept. In the batch mixer’s cylindrical drum, Ploughshare shovels rotate, subjecting the bulk material to a three-dimensional mixing movement and ensuring that the entire product is mixed both quickly and accurately.
I spoke to Rocco Mastronolado from Process Components, who explained the benefits of the new Mucon Slide valve, a robust, total shut-off solution for bulk solids in applications where flow control is not an essential requirement. “The Slide valve offers several USPs,” he said. “The most important is its self-cleaning slide gate blade, which significantly reduces maintenance and operator intervention.” The valve follows the ‘moving orifice’ principle, providing a fully dust tight seal when closed and completely uninterrupted product flow when open.
Also on the Process Components stand was a Mucon Iris valve, launched with the food and pharma industries in mind, owing to its hygienic design, but now being used in a number of other industry sectors. The model at the show was a double diaphragm version for in-line applications that demand zero leakage. Rocco added: “The double diaphragm concept also makes it ideal for use in cleanrooms, for separating areas and preventing cross-contamination.”
Amongst a number of products highlighted on Bosch Packaging’s stand were Huttlin and Manesty’s co-developed Solidlab 1 and Solidlab 2 machines for the lab, each incorporating three process modules for powder mixing, granulating and coating of pharma tablets and pellets. Solidlab 1 is capable of handling batches from 0.05 to 2 kg and Solidlab 2 from 0.5 to 12 kg.
It seemed to me that a number of processing equipment providers are turning their focus towards ‘continuous manufacturing’. GEA Pharma Systems' Sharon Lyons said: “We have been doing a lot with big pharma on the continuous manufacturing front; it really is the future.” EPM hopes to feature an exclusive case study from GEA Pharma Systems on one such continuous manufacturing project in the not too distant future.
If you attended TechnoPharm and POWTECH and saw or spoke about something you feel worthy of mention, please post below or email me: ellie@rapidnews.com.