Customer story
Dechra Pharmaceuticals: “Our stainless steel pressure vessel was restored in a very short time. We are grateful to Gpi for that”
Gpi carries out urgent repair on PED tank at Dechra
Dechra Pharmaceuticals in Bladel develops and manufactures veterinary pharmaceuticals. When a defect occurred in one of the hold vessels, Dechra engaged Gpi to help identify an urgent solution. Gpi’s service department provides maintenance, repair, technical support and optimization for delivered stainless steel tanks and installations.
Jan Snels, Facility & Engineering Manager at Dechra Pharmaceuticals, explains the background to the project: “We operate preparation tanks for aseptic products that must be fully sterile. Due to an issue with the agitator, a leak developed in the bottom plate of a sterile pressure vessel. As a result, one tank was taken out of operation, causing part of our production to come to a standstill. At that point, we had a serious problem.”
“A preparation tank was taken out of service and we were facing a serious issue”
Engaging Gpi
Faced with this urgent situation, Jan contacted the technical advisor from Gpi, with whom he had worked previously. “When I made the call, things moved quickly. The technical advisor visited us on-site to assess how the issue could be resolved. Work on a PED vessel must be carried out strictly in accordance with certified procedures, so we initially feared that the tank would have to be removed through the roof of the cleanroom for repair. Fortunately, it turned out that, with the necessary precautions, the tank could be repaired in situ.”
“Work on a PED vessel may only be carried out under strictly certified procedures”
Preparations
All involved parties immediately got to work to ensure a timely resolution. Gpi promptly initiated the preparation of a plan of approach and a PED repair plan. Within one week, these were prepared, submitted, reviewed and approved by the Notified Body. In addition, a replacement stainless steel 1.4435 agitator mounting plate with the required surface finish, material specifications and PED certification was ordered.
Erik Siroen, Maintenance Engineer at Dechra Pharmaceuticals, supervised the work in the cleanroom: “Fortunately, the bottom plate could be delivered relatively quickly. Within a short timeframe, all required documentation from both Dechra and Gpi was completed, allowing the work to proceed without delay. We were also fortunate that certified welders from Gpi were available at short notice.”
The work
Erik continues: “Before the Gpi team arrived, we secured the tank on site so they could begin work immediately. We declassified the cleanroom and everyone contributed to finding the best approach. We constructed a temporary enclosure within the space to minimize contamination and disconnected all systems to ensure safe working conditions.” The welders removed the damaged bottom plate and welded in the new plate, working both from inside and outside the tank. Jan is very positive about the execution: “The welders adhered strictly to our procedures and delivered high-quality workmanship.”
Collaboration
Reflecting on the collaboration, Jan adds: “The people we worked with were highly professional and very pleasant to collaborate with. They have strong technical expertise and a clear understanding of quality. They know exactly what is important in a pharmaceutical environment. Nothing was too much to ask.”
“The people at Gpi are technically highly skilled and understand what quality means”
The result
The tank has since been released for production, with the first batch successfully completed without any issues. As a result, Dechra Pharmaceuticals is once again able to utilize its full production capacity.
Both Jan and Erik look back positively on the entire process. Jan concludes:
“In retrospect, everything went smoothly. All parties involved collaborated effectively and efficiently, and the repair was carried out to a high standard. The welds were inspected and approved. The tank was repaired in a very short time and we are truly grateful to Gpi.”
