AUSTIN, TX (November 8, 2004) – Emerson Process Management and GE Healthcare announced last week a global marketing agreement to provide solutions for protein purification – a critical operation in manufacturing of biotech medicines.
Protein purification is the final step of biotech medicine manufacturing, where chromatography and filtering act to purify the final medicine product.Biotech medicines are intended to improve the quality of life for individuals who are confronted with health issues.
GE Healthcare and Emerson technologies that manage purification are installed as part of plants’ bioreactor control systems. The new alliance will allow for the integration of Emerson’s DeltaV digital process automation system and GE Healthcare’s Unicorn chromatography and filtration control system software. The companies said the goal is to deliver control consistency across the biotech process, meeting the needs of both engineers and biochemists in pilot plants, laboratories, and large-scale manufacturing plants.
The Unicorn control system software provides real-time control of the protein purification unit operation (chromatography, filtration or other liquid handling systems), according to GE. It also offers method development facilitation, method upscale/downscale, and evaluation of purification results.
The DeltaV digital process automation system uses networked digital intelligence for automation to deliver fast time to market and efficiency in large-scale biotechnology manufacturing, Emerson said. The PlantWeb digital plant architecture has been used in worldwide biotechnology plants, including those with the critical protein purification processes.
“This agreement with GE Healthcare is an important element of our aim to reduce the risk and complexities associated with scale, from the pilot plantto major production unit, and provide a consistent automation philosophy across the customer’s entire facility,” John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management, said. “Benefits to our customers include streamlined validation, reduced start-up times, and simpler, more efficient day-to-dayoperation.”
Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, works with businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries.
St. Louis-based Emerson provides solutions to customers in process control; electronics and telecommunications; industrial automation; heating, ventilating and air conditioning; and appliance and tools. Sales in fiscal 2003 were $14 billion.
GE Healthcare is involved in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacturing aimed at detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients.
GE Healthcare, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Co. GE Healthcare, a combination of the former Amersham and GE Medical Systems, employs more than 42,500 workers worldwide.
