The Future of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Nothing in the world ever stops evolving. Right now, globally, climate change is altering temperatures, sea levels, natural habitats and consequently, the disease burden of each region. To keep up with the increasing and evolving burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, pharmaceutical manufacturing also needs to adapt constantly to the new and increasing demand.

The future of pharma manufacturing involves highly agile, streamlined processes which can address the changing needs of the times to come. The entire range of pharmaceutical equipment – from manufacturing vessels and process piping to heat exchangers and bio kill systems – has already made leaps and bounds from where it used to be some years ago.

Pharmaceutical equipment has already achieved a sophistication of design, quality of material, and level of processing efficiency which add significant value to the pharma manufacturing process. Continuing to stay abreast with the latest in the industry is critical to your success, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, where sanitary standards are sky high, ever evolving, and different in different regions of the world. Moreover, keeping your pharmaceutical manufacturing facility updated with the times is the surest indicator you can give to your consumers that you have quality, safety and efficiency as your top priorities.

Any lapses in the integrity of the pharma manufacturing process can lead to adverse events in patients who use the drugs in question. Substandard drugs as well as product leaks pose a very real threat to human health and life. Minimising these risks has always been critical to the success of the pharma manufacturing process. As time goes by and the production process becomes more and more sophisticated, it would be ideal to completely eliminate any risks to human and environmental health and safety. Essentially, the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing is centred on a heightened focus on product quality, zero tolerance for contamination, and the prioritisation of human and environmental safety.

In the past many years, pharma manufacturing has undergone a transformation with regard to technological interventions, advanced equipment and process automation. And it will continue to develop with time. Let us sneak a glance at what the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing might look like.

What might the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing look like?

Whether you are a manufacturer of parenterals, oral solid dosages, proteins, enzymes or biosimilars, your future is likely to look fairly different from your present as advancements in technology pave a fresh path for you to tread. But as a pharmaceutical manufacturer, it’s not necessary that you will just follow in the footsteps of industry leaders. Like TSA, you could play an active role in the transformation of the industry. How, you ask? Let’s have a look.

Customisation

The first principle of setting up a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to any problem. Customisation is key to a flexible, agile and streamlined production line. If you want to manufacture parenterals, your requirements in terms of piping, production capacity, temperature, pressure and purified water will be quite different from if you want to produce biosimilars or oral solid dosages. Based on your end product and the scale of your operations, it is always ideal to have customised process equipment and tailored processes to eliminate wastage, avoid dead spaces and bottlenecks, and get the most targeted outcome from the resources you have at your disposal.

The kind of customisations that you can make to your pharma manufacturing process and equipment have no limit. Starting from modular skid systems and CIP and SIP integrations to process automation that minimises human intervention – and therefore limits the scope for product contamination – a future in which all process equipment involved in the manufacturing process is not tailored to your specific purpose is unimaginable.

Automation

As we’ve just discussed, the more times that human beings have to interfere in the production of a pharmaceutical product, the higher the likelihood becomes that a contaminant will be introduced or a standard operating procedure will not be followed in a reliable, repeatable manner. There is also a risk to the health of the people handling toxic chemicals or high temperature and pressure environments.

With automation, you can wave goodbye to so many of these risks. For starters, automated systems ensure consistency, speed and repeatability at a level far superior to any manual processes. Second, as human beings interact with environments even outside the sterile production space, they are likely to introduce the microorganisms in and on their bodies into the raw materials or final pharmaceutical products. And finally, even the air is home to microbes that could easily find their way into your chemicals and biochemicals, altering their properties and the ways in which they interact with the people who consume them. With closed automated processes, you can rest assured that your machine is keeping your raw materials and final products protected as every interaction of the product with its environment can be monitored.

Today, and even more so tomorrow, automation is a prerequisite for success in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Far into the future, automated systems will continue to play an integral role in connecting the different elements of pharma manufacturing – sequencing processes, streamlining them, and ensuring an overall unrivalled harmony between process systems which will revolutionise the scale and agility with which pharma manufacturing will take place.

In the long run, automation in pharmaceutical manufacturing is indispensable if you want to remain competitive in an industry which counts on long-term cost savings, unfailing repeatability and zero allowances for contamination.

Symbiotic industry partnerships

In a future in which machines can take over not just the dangerous, repetitive and tedious aspects of pharmaceutical manufacturing, but also potentially the design and engineering of your systems, maintaining fruitful human relationships with your equipment manufacturer and their team of experts will be crucial to ensuring you get the support you need, when you need it.

For us at TSA, a meaningful partnership does not end with a purchase. In fact, that’s the point where our long journey with pharma manufacturers begins. We don’t like our customers to go running from pillar to post, searching for the perfect piece of pharmaceutical equipment. Hence, we have a comprehensive service range to service your every high purity and process challenge.

As a forward looking, future-ready organisation, we also place great importance on regular maintenance and life cycle support. Which is why we offer Annual Maintenance Contracts, or AMCs, with our every product and service. In a future full of robots and artificially intelligent machines, it’s nice – even necessary – to have a human touch, a real person to lean on. And for that, TSA and its team of experts have got your back.

The future of pharmaceutical manufacturing is characterised by a zero compromise attitude to quality and the determination to use the latest advancements to ensure that you are delivering quality products. At TSA, we see a process or high purity challenge, and we can’t help but begin to devise solutions for it. In the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing, these commitments that we have made – to quality, cost-effectiveness and efficiency – and our eagerness to face challenges head on, make us the ideal partner to collaborate with as you step into the exciting future of pharma manufacturing.

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For 20 years, we’ve been the go-to problem-solvers for high-purity and injectable process applications in the pharma and biopharma industry. We are relentless about continuous process improvement and upskilling, elevating ourselves and our technology so you can get the job done more efficiently with cost optimisations. Use the form below to schedule a call back from our team.

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Hetal Panchal is the Vice President in Operations department of TSA Process Equipments (A Thermax Group Company) since 1 s t October 2012.

Holding a qualification in Production Engineering and 28 years of industry experience, he specializes in designing advanced equipment for the pharmaceutical sector. His expertise lies in optimizing production lines, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Focused on innovation, he has developed systems that enhances productivity, minimizes downtime, and maintains product quality. Staying current with technological trends, they contribute to ongoing improvements in the industry.
His extensive experience has helped identify opportunities for innovation, streamlining operations and reducing costs. Through his specialized knowledge, more efficient manufacturing processes and higher-quality outputs in pharmaceutical production are delivered.

B.C. Mahesh is the Chairperson of TSA Process Equipment Pvt. Ltd. since Feb 2024.

B.C. Mahesh became a member of the Executive Council in August 2013. He is responsible for the Industrial Product Business (IPB), which consists of Process Heating, Absorption Cooling & Heating Solutions, Water and Waste Solutions, Air Pollution Control, Steam Engineering, Channel Business Group, International Business Group, and Enterprise Sales businesses.
As part of IPB, he also oversees the following wholly-owned subsidiaries
of Thermax – Danstoker, PT Thermax International Indonesia and Rifox.Mahesh joined Thermax as a graduate trainee in 1988 and handled the Materials function for various businesses, including global sourcing, till 1996.
He moved to the Power division(P&ES) and grew to the position of Sales Head and subsequently Head of Projects. He took over as the Head of the SBU for Medium Power Plants in 2009 and finally as Head of Power business in 2012.
Mahesh has worked with Thermax for over 30 years in many functions such as manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing, and project management, and has played a significant role in the strategy, expansion and diversification of the Power business.Mahesh completed his Mechanical Engineering from the Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur in 1988.

Vishal Mehra is the Director of TSA Process Equipment Pvt. Ltd. since Feb 2024.

Mr. Vishal Mehra is currently serving as the Strategic Business Unit Head for Water & Waste Solutions (WWS) at Thermax Limited. Additionally, he holds a directorial position at TSA Process Equipment, which is known for its expertise in ultra-pure and high-purity water technologies and was recently acquired by Thermax.With over 22 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Mehra’s professional focus includes water management solutions, advanced technology development, and business strategy.
His areas of interest encompass cutting-edge technology, growth strategies, organizational effectiveness, and development.
Mr. Mehra is well qualified in business management and strategy transformation, having completed the Senior Executive Program in Business Management and Strategy Transformation from London Business School. This advanced education supports his extensive experience and expertise in the field.

Sandeep Deshpande has been the Director of TSA Process Equipments Pvt. Ltd. since February 2024.

Currently, he serves as the Head of Corporate Finance and the Industrial Product Group at Thermax Limited. With over 21 years of experience in finance, he has developed expertise in financial consolidation, planning, reporting, costing, accounting, controlling and financial modeling.
Currently, he serves as the Head of Corporate Finance and the Industrial Product Group at Thermax Limited. With over 21 years of experience in finance, he has developed expertise in financial consolidation, planning, reporting, costing, accounting, controlling and financial modeling.
Sandeep is a qualified Cost Accountant Company Secretary, and holds a diploma in IFRS and an advanced diploma in financial management from XLRI. He has extensive experience in financial operations, including financial planning, MIS, budgeting, controlling, audits, and cash flow management. His expertise also spans financial reporting, consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, business restructuring, and implementing Internal Financial Control (IFC) and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Additionally, Sandeep has hands-on experience with Oracle systems, automation, digitization, and business analytics. He is passionate about driving good governance, improving financial reporting, and leveraging automation and digitization to enhance business analytics.

Rajiv Parikh is the COO of TSA Process Equipments (A Thermax Group Company) since April 2024.

Rajiv is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors, specializing in high-purity and process vessels. He played a key role in establishing TSA Process Equipments Pvt. Ltd., driving its growth and success. His deep technical expertise, combined with a strong understanding of client needs, has enabled him to deliver innovative solutions to complex industry challenges.

Throughout his career, Rajiv has excelled in leadership and sales, consistently launching cutting-edge products that have positively impacted the market. His ability to build lasting client relationships and offer tailored solutions has earned him a reputation as a trusted industry leader.

With a background in Mechanical Engineering, Rajiv blends technical proficiency with strategic vision. His contributions have shaped industry standards and positioned him as a key influencer in the pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors.

Apurva Shah is the CEO of TSA Process Equipments (A Thermax Group Company) since April 2024.

With a career spanning over 24 years, Apurva is the visionary CEO of TSA Process Equipments, where he has led the company to new heights in the High Purity & process equipment industry. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University, followed by an MBA in Business Management from NMIMS, He brings a strong technical foundation combined with a sharp strategic mindset.

His expertise lies in formulating and executing strategies that drive growth and operational efficiency. Over the years, he has cultivated a deep understanding of market dynamics, positioning TSA Process Equipments for continued success in a competitive landscape.

Outside of his professional pursuits. He is an avid reader, with a particular interest in fiction novels, which fuel his creativity and broaden his perspective.