Vital blood plasma production more than doubled: major project by ZETA Group

ZETA setzte als Generalplaner für Octapharma ein Projekt zur Blutplasmaverarbeitung der Superlative um: Der Plasmadurchsatz am Standort Wien wird mehr als verdoppelt. (Copyright: ZETA) / As the general planner for Octapharma, ZETA implemented a superlative blood plasma processing project: The plasma throughput at the Vienna site has more than doubled. (Copyright: ZETA)

Als Generalplaner war ZETA für alle wesentlichen Planungsphasen und die Planungskoordination aller beteiligten Gewerke verantwortlich. (Copyright: ZETA) / As general planner, ZETA was responsible for all essential planning phases and the planning coordination of all trades involved. (Copyright: ZETA)

Blood plasma forms the basis of many life-saving therapies and is also an important building block for future active ingredients in medical research. As the general planner for Octapharma, ZETA implemented an industry leading EPCM project resulting in the doubling of plasma throughput at the Vienna, Austria manufacturing site.

The pharmaceutical industry relies on ZETA's many years of experience in production processes and solutions for life-saving blood plasma products. ZETA's extensive biopharmaceutical expertise in the areas of precipitation, centrifugation and mixing is in high demand, as is the gentle thawing of protein solutions. Octapharma, a leading global producer of human protein products, expanded its plasma fractionation production facilities in Vienna, Austria. As the manufacturer's general planner, ZETA led the major project to success: The plasma throughput has more than doubled in two expansion steps. In the first step an additional new manufacturing building was constructed, while in the second step, the new equipment was integrated with the existing production.

Comprehensive expertise in turnkey project management

Octapharma relied on ZETA's extensive planning and project management expertise and opted for implementation based on the full EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) model. “We worked successfully with ZETA on other large projects and because of our positive experience, we entrusted ZETA with the general planning,” stated Production Manager Albin Hauler, Octapharma, regarding the first-class collaboration.

The heart of the project, the blood plasma processing plant, was planned and constructed directly by ZETA. As the general planner, ZETA was also responsible for all essential planning phases and the coordination of the trades involved. The spectrum included structural planning, construction, clean room, HVAC, electrical engineering, black media supply, fire protection and EMS/BMS. As the actual builder, as well as the general planner, ZETA demonstrates unparalleled expertise for complex turnkey projects.

Scheduling to keep vital processes running

A central requirement was to keep the current plasma production running on the existing systems, while implementing and integrating the new construction site. “As with all projects, strict adherence to the schedule is essential. ZETA always met our schedule and used the planned shutdown times to integrate the new equipment and processes into the existing production,” said Gerhard Gatterwe, Project Manager, Octapharma.

Trusted partner for the global biopharmaceutical industry

ZETA’s expertise could be in demand again as several important follow-up projects for further expansion are planned. “Mutual trust is high and the success of the Octapharma project is ultimately the greatest proof. We look forward to a successful future together,” says Johannes Koch, Associate Director Engineering, ZETA Group.