News Release
April 30, 2020
MilliporeSigma Accelerates Readiness of Bioprocessing Facility of the Future
- Bio4C™ Software Suite, a first-of-its-kind digital ecosystem, combines process control, analytics and plant-level automation
- New data visualization and analysis software enables real-time manufacturing intelligence
- Saves biopharma manufacturers time and money
Burlington, Massachusetts, April 30, 2020— MilliporeSigma today unveiled the next component of its BioContinuum™ Platform, the Bio4C™ Software Suite, creating a first-of-its-kind ecosystem that combines process control, analytics and plant-level automation. This transformative software suite will allow users to look across the entire manufacturing process versus individual operational units, giving biomanufacturers complete process control and deep insights, bringing Bioprocessing 4.0 to the here and now.
“The future of bioprocessing is holistic,” said Andrew Bulpin, head of Process Solutions at MilliporeSigma. “With the launch of our Bio4C™ Software Suite, MilliporeSigma is the first supplier to converge advanced process technologies with software, automation and analytics into one ecosystem, bringing us another step closer to making the digitally enabled facility of the future a reality.”
Biopharmaceutical companies today are under immense pressure to get products to market faster, with every day of delay costing millions in lost revenue. An emerging solution is the integration of software, automation and analytics into biomanufacturing facilities’ operations to intensify biologic production, with a vision toward connected and continuous processing. The biopharmaceutical industry is on a journey to evolve and digitize the next generation of bioprocessing to increase speed and lower costs. Bioprocessing 4.0 signifies this new approach to manufacturing. MilliporeSigma has been a key driver of this evolution through its BioContinuum™ Platform.
MilliporeSigma’s Bio4C™ Suite was designed based on the company’s “4C strategy”: control, connect, collect and collaborate. Control is the basis of everything MilliporeSigma does to run all of its systems. Connect refers to making digital connections between different process steps and giving that visibility to the entire process. Collect is the ability to gather all data into one place and maintain and validate the integrity of that data. Collaborate is how MilliporeSigma will deliver these technologies to its customers in real time.
Bio4C™ ProcessPad, part of the “Collect” dimension of the Bio4C™ Suite, is a browser-based platform that allows users to acquire, aggregate, and analyze data from disparate sources such as equipment, batch records, databases, and historians across the bioprocess. MilliporeSigma’s Bio4C™ ProcessPad automates the data acquisition and analysis tasks, freeing scientists and engineers to minimize the time to decision and action.
MilliporeSigma will roll out further Bio4C™ Software Suite products and modules throughout 2020 and into the future.
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About the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has some 22,000 employees and 59 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing, and testing services.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science, and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.