Rockwell Automation and Cytiva collaborate to accelerate automation platforms in the biopharmaceutical industry

By OEM Update Editorial December 30, 2021 2:57 pm IST

Companies plan to build an Automation and Digital Transformation Centre in China.

Rockwell Automation, one of the world’s largest companies dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced that it has begun collaborating with Cytiva, one of the global life sciences leaders, to accelerate the industry’s digital transformation. This new collaboration deepens Cytiva’s 2019 pledge to invest in China and also strengthens the relationship between Rockwell and Cytiva that has been in place since 2019. Cytiva joined the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork Program as an OEM Partner to help drive a best-in-class distributed control system offering.

Rockwell Automation and Cytiva will bring their combined expertise in biomanufacturing and automation to create an efficient, flexible, and scalable platform. As part of the collaboration, the companies are building an Automation and Digital Transformation Centre, located in Shanghai, to co-host demonstrations, trainings, and more.

Ian Shih, regional vice president, Greater China, Rockwell Automation, says: “Scalable and sustainable development is of the utmost importance to our companies and to the industry as a whole. Our combined solutions offer the flexibility to scale up for vaccine production or scale down to produce smaller batches of personalised medicines.”

Lihua Yu, General Manager, Greater China, Cytiva says: “As the industry moves toward more automated manufacturing solutions, together we can bring digital-oriented R&D and streamlined production to life not only in China, but throughout the world. Our joint work will accelerate the development and delivery of transformative medicines, reduce costs, and ultimately deliver more medicines to patients in need.”

In addition, the two companies have established multiple centres, including the Testa Centre in Uppsala, Sweden, to assist customers in their drug development process. They are exploring how to apply the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), Augmented Reality (AR) and other advanced technologies for connectivity across the manufacturing process. With innovative solutions for factory field management in progress, Rockwell Automation and Cytiva are establishing a promising future for digital solutions for biopharmaceutical companies, helping enhance training and efficiency for operators, improving speed of batch review, streamlining equipment management, and intensifying efficiency.