An advanced batch control system supplied to an Irish pharmaceutical plant has been specifically designed to be multipurpose, allowing a large number of products to be manufactured.

Yokogawa has supplied an advanced batch control system to Takeda Pharma Ireland (a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company), at the new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) plant in Dublin. This is Takeda's first API facility to be constructed outside Japan. The new plant will be used to develop and produce APIs used in clinical trials through to launch and full commercialisation.

In addition, Takeda also plans to produce APIs for products such as the diabetes 'blockbuster' drug Pioglitazone (brand name Actos).

To meet these challenges, the system has been specifically designed to be multipurpose, allowing a large number of products to be manufactured.

This necessitated the use of a comprehensive batch control system, and Takeda decided to use Yokogawa's CS3000 DCS Batch Control system, which is based on the ISA S88.01 Batch Standard.

The CS3000 Batch Control system also complies with the current FDA requirements for the use of electronic records and electronic signatures (as specified in FDA 21 CFR Part 11): an issue of vital importance when supplying control and information systems to the pharmaceuticals industry.

The system comprises a Centum CS3000 R3 with eight operator stations, one audit trail server, five field control stations, 4500 conventional I/O points, and Profibus communications to the packaged equipment.

In addition to the batch control functions, it produces online batch and process reports.

* About Yokogawa Electric Corporation - Yokogawa's global network of 18 manufacturing facilities, 83 affiliate companies, and over 650 sales and engineering offices spans 28 countries.

Since its founding in 1915, the US$4 billion company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 7,000 patents and registrations, including the world's first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement.

Industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems and industry support are the core businesses of Yokogawa.

* About Yokogawa Europe - the European headquarters were founded in Amersfoort, the Netherlands in 1982.

Throughout Europe Yokogawa has its own sales, service and engineering operations.

This dedicated network has been extended to Central and East Europe and Southern Africa to further enhance the coverage and support associated with serving the process control and automation market place.

We develop and produce flowmeters at Rota Yokogawa in Germany, liquid analysers and industrial safety systems in the Netherlands.

In addition to this dedicated network of Yokogawa subsidiaries a select organisation of Test and Measurement (T and M) subsidiaries and distributors is established in certain areas to support the specific customer needs of this continuously developing and specific market of TandM instrumentation.

* About Yokogawa UK - Yokogawa UK, part of the global Yokogawa Corporation, is a supplier of enterprise technology solutions to the process, manufacturing and utility sectors.

The company is a technology and market leader in instrumentation and control, and holds many key patents and national and international approvals.