ABB India Ties Up with Reliance Life Sciences for Automating Biopharmaceutical Facilities       

ABB India has secured a major automation contract with Reliance Life Sciences to deploy automation and control solutions for their new biosimilars and plasma protein manufacturing. 

ABB India Limited, a technology provider, has announced a secured major automation contract with Reliance life science (RLS) in Nashik, Maharashtra. The contract was signed to complete the automation of their new biosimilars and plasma proteins manufacturing. However, the order value is not disclosed by the company. RLS provides a 160-acre Nashik facility for manufacturing plasma proteins, biopharmaceuticals, oncology pharmaceuticals, and vaccines.'¯ 

The project uses ABB's flagship distributed control system (DCS) ability system 800xA, Remote I/O systems, Batch recipe management, and Med integration for efficient operator interaction.'¯ 

'œWe are proud to partner with Reliance Life Sciences on this critical project. This collaboration will reinforce our position in the pharma and life sciences market, where, as a technology provider, we see tremendous potential for growth and innovation,' said G. Balaji, SVP, head of energy industries, ABB India.'¯ 

He added that as India is quickly becoming a significant hub for biopharmaceuticals manufacturing, we are in a good position to take advantage of the industrial revolution by using automation in these sectors, which is essential for high volume and good quality manufacturing.'¯ 

In a virtualised environment, System 800xA will be set up for RLS. Virtualisation offers numerous financial and operational advantages by streamlining server management. It reduces the IT footprint and resultant operational costs. The virtualised environment setting is mainly used for easy operator interaction, batch control, and production information on the factory floor. 

The multichannel remote I/O solutions of ABB help to streamline data communication, reduce writing, declutter the hardware footprint in the plant, and improve space utilisation for faster execution of the project.'¯ 

In place of many PLCs, System 800xA® will offer an integration platform that unifies various plant regions and components. 

ABB has been providing top-tier DCS solutions to leading pharma industries in India. As per ARC advisory group report 2021, it is ranked as the no. 1 DCS provider worldwide. 

'œReliance Life Sciences has a tradition of leveraging automation technologies in its manufacturing processes, as part of its larger objectives in quality and productivity,' said K.V. Subramaniam, president of reliance life sciences.'¯ 

In addition to the DCS, ABB's modular remote I/O solution, which is more adaptable and introduces a plug-and-play concept to automation, will be advantageous for RLS to implement. With the potential to grow the plant's capacity, they can complete commissioning and process implementation more quickly. 

ABB is a leader in automation and electrification technology, creating a more resource-conserving and sustainable future. The company's solutions link software and engineering expertise to optimise objects' production, movement, power, and operation. 

In India, Reliance Life Sciences has the largest number of biosimilars. The company wants to develop premium biosimilars at a competitive price by expanding its manufacturing capabilities.