Life sciences
Managing AI, obsolescence & production line transformation in vaccine manufacturing
Context
A major pharmaceutical company, leader in vaccine production, faced several challenges: projects addressing equipment obsolescence were not being followed up, AI had not been implemented on the production line, and the planning phase for a new visual inspection line was on hold.
Objectives
- Monitor equipment obsolescence and prioritise revamping actions on packaging and visual inspection lines.
- Deploy AI solutions to assist operators during specific production processes, improving efficiency and decision-making.
- Implement a new Visual Inspection (VI) production line to support the processing of new lyophilised vaccines in vials.
Our Approach
- Applied the right delivery model to each type of project, combining robust governance with operational agility to maximise business value.
- Used a structured waterfall approach for the obsolescence projects and the new VI production line, with clear milestones and controlled budgets across the full lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closing.
- Adopted a hybrid delivery model for the AI project, blending waterfall governance with agile execution.
Results
Obsolescence projects
- Extended the lifetime of production lines.
- Total investment of ~€2M.
- Overall duration of ~2 years (from initiation to closure).
AI project
- Currently in the execution phase.
- Operator feedback is continuously collected and integrated into solution packages.
- Expected ROI of 3.
New Visual Inspection (VI) production line
- Total investment of ~€6M.
- Project completion targeted for 2029.
