Why prefabricated pharmaceutical factories? The benefits of prefabrication over traditional construction for the biopharma sector

Making medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other health products isn’t a concern for only the discipline of biochemistry. Developing, producing, distributing and consuming these products entails the coming together of multiple activities, sectors and industries – from basic scientific research to clinical trials, from governmental regulations to business environments, from health and advocacy to packaging and logistics.

It isn’t always recognised as such, but the building and construction sector is an important part of the biopharmaceutical value chain. The sector is responsible for establishing the physical space and infrastructure in which drugs are made, stored, tested or consumed. Think pharmaceutical factories, laboratories, cleanrooms, healthcare facilities, and beyond.

As a biopharma or health product manufacturer, you can choose to set up your factory either using traditional construction methods or modular construction. Currently, the latter is nowhere close to as widespread or popular as the former. But that is changing in the pharma manufacturing industry and otherwise. And for good reason.

Modular or prefabricated construction enhances the construction process, cost and timeline in several ways. These benefits have a knock-on effect on the availability and accessibility of vaccines and medicines when they are made in prefab factories.

Now who wouldn’t want that, especially in our world which is plagued by stark disparities in healthcare access?

What is modular or prefabricated construction?

Modular construction (or off-site construction or prefabrication) refers to the process of manufacturing the components of a building or other structure in an off-site factory and then assembling them on-site. This may involve manufacturing single two-dimensional elements which are put together using standard connections and interfaces. It may involve manufacturing three-dimensional volumetric units with full fixtures. Or it may involve hybrid designs. The components may be produced using steel-frame-based modules, cross-laminated timber, or new lighter-weight materials.

Though modular construction hasn’t been very common in Europe and the United States since the post-World War II era, estimates suggest that the market value for modular construction in new real estate construction alone could reach USD 130 billion by 2030 in these markets. Thus far, prefabricated housing has achieved a foothold in very few places, like Scandinavia and Japan.

The popularity of modular construction is steadily increasing, with signs indicating that this revival could be a disruption in the making. This is largely because digital technologies have improved dramatically in the past few decades, making design capabilities, customisation, precision, productivity, logistics, and aesthetics today far ahead of what they were when prefabrication was last popular after World War II.

The benefits of prefabrication can be reaped best when construction projects call for scale and repeatability. It’s no wonder, then, that prefab is considered a good option for affordable housing and school construction. Nevertheless, these aren’t the only avenues for prefab to take flight – as prefabricated construction has made tremendous progress in overcoming design, manufacturing, technology, logistics, and assembly challenges, the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry can also benefit immensely from this approach to construction.

Already, the biopharma world has had a taste of the scale, speed, flexibility, and cost-efficiency of prefabricated factory systems. Take, for instance, BioNTech’s BioNTainers in Rwanda which will be used to produce mRNA vaccines for Africa.

Or Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. To rapidly manufacture their vaccines in response to the pandemic, Pfizer had to make room for new formulation suites. At its 1,300-acre foot facility, the company installed about 13,000 square feet of modular rooms. In half the time it would have taken for traditional construction, Pfizer was able to go from producing 3 to 4 million doses a week to 13 million doses a week.

Another example. We, at PodTech™, recently established a rapid test manufacturing facility in the UAE. Within 4 months, we had set up three production pods and one utility pod so that a leading medical device manufacturing company could produce hormone marker, liver disease, tropical disease, respiratory disease, and non-virus infectious disease tests for the Middle East market.

What are the benefits of prefab construction for pharmaceutical manufacturing?

Prefabrication in the biopharma manufacturing industry isn’t a passing trend. It is a revolution, a disruption that is here to stay because of the tremendous improvement it can bring in medicines access. How so?

Durability.

Whether they use light-gauge steel frames or pre-cast concrete panels, the materials that are commonly used in modular construction are extremely robust, particularly because they are designed to maintain their strength during long transits to the project site. Often, they are also seismically designed and weatherproof, lending them a level of durability that traditional brick-and-mortar construction can’t compete with.

Speed.

When setting up a pharma factory, on-site work involves either covering a pre-assembled frame or slotting pre-manufactured modules together. Foundation work and the casting of panels can happen simultaneously. Moreover, elements like fire suppression, HVAC systems, insulation and flooring are added during the manufacturing step in the factory. This can halve construction timelines and help manufacturers get their products to market faster.

Risk minimisation.

Traditional on-site construction poses many risks. For starters, bad weather and other environmental factors can delay projects or adversely affect construction materials, shortening the lifespan of factory components. These risks are minimised with off-site construction.

Additionally, traditional construction also comes with risks to the health and safety of construction workers. Think moving crane arms, construction dust, vehicular movement due to truck deliveries and the like. Prefabricated structures minimise on-site construction time, consequently also minimising the risk of such threats.

Quality control.

With multiple deliveries of construction materials throughout the construction process, it can be hard to assess component quality on-site in a traditional construction project. With modular construction, however, prefabricated components can be and are individually checked for quality before they are dispatched to the project site. For instance, PodTech™ completes factory acceptance testing, commissioning, and pre-qualification before the modular components are assembled on-site. This provides an assurance of quality.

Sustainability.

With massive advances in technology, prefabrication today can use environmentally friendly or recycled materials for construction. Additionally, this approach generates minimal construction waste. At the end of a prefabricated structure’s lifespan, it can also be easily dismantled and repurposed – all without the use of explosives. This is significantly more eco-friendly than building and demolishing brick-and-mortar buildings.

Cost-effectiveness.

Setting up a prefabricated pharmaceutical factory requires fewer on-site construction workers. For standardised sections of the factory, off-the-shelf plans and schematics can do a wonderful job while reducing planning and design costs. Moreover, manufacturing building components in a factory means that they can be mass-produced and purchased in bulk. These economies of scale bring massive savings for drugmakers.

Scalability.

Should you choose to expand your factory and scale up production in the future, modular extensions can make the process extremely cost-effective, quick and stress-free. You don’t even need to put existing operations on hold.

Low dependence on on-site infrastructure.

Prefab pharma factory systems like PodTech™’s podules™ comprise almost all the elements needed to get your factory up and running. Double insulation, fire suppression, air handling and HVAC, vinyl flooring, and more. When the factory is assembled on-site, all you need to do is connect it to an electrical and water supply and you’re all set to get started. This means that you can set up a biopharma factory even in remote, resource-scarce regions. This makes modular construction indispensable to the mission of achieving true pharmaceutical equity.

Prefabricated pharmaceutical factories can transform the way ordinary citizens access healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Given the benefits we’ve talked about here, there is no reason why any drugmaker looking to rapidly set up or scale up production should go the traditional route. There is no reason why any developmental and civil society organisation shouldn’t advocate for the use of prefab.

Many regions of the world are pharmaceutical manufacturing deserts, with no local drug production footprint. This must change. The Covid-19 pandemic made it clear that a robust health system needs localised manufacturing that can circumvent global supply chain problems and effectively meet the targeted needs of regional populations. Modular construction is the answer to this need.

Since our inception in 2022, PodTech™ has been committed to plugging the gaps in our health systems. We’re committed to stronger local pharmaceutical production and more equitable access to lifesaving care.

We’re on a mission to future-proof the world against the next health crisis. We hope you’ll join the fight to change the world with us.