Entegris opens plant to address cold-chain supply challenges

The center in Billerica, Massachusetts will give clients the opportunity to test equipment and containers for freeze and thaw processes, says firm.

According to Entegris, the facility will offer life sciences customers the chance to make use of the company’s knowledge surrounding cold-chain supply challenges. In turn, the firm says it can improve processes, decrease costs, and increase speed-to-market.

Entegris is offering clients its Aramus Shaped 2D single-use bags with custom sizes, shapes, and assembly configurations as a part of its solutions for manufacturing challenges faced in the industry.

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“Entegris’ Aramus 2D single-use bag assemblies are designed to be resistant to extreme cold temperatures and to withstand gamma sterilization, which makes them a preferred solution for freezing, transporting, storing, and thawing drug substances. We believe they are among the cleanest and most robust solutions on the market right now,” a spokesperson for Entegris told BioProcess Insider.

“These features have drawn interest from many companies involved in producing and delivering COVID-19 vaccines globally. However, these assemblies can support a number of other biologic therapies beyond COVID-19 vaccines that require high purity and high yield.”

Entegris claims its team has a “broad component ecosystem”, which has the ability to manage demanding process needs.

“The […] center is […] dedicated to providing customers access to testing for the equipment and containers that will form the foundation of their freeze and thaw process. It is designed to deliver personalized, optimized solutions, address gaps in market access, and build on the success of its Aramus bag assemblies, convening equipment and expertise to help companies optimize processes and achieve speed-to-market,” the spokesperson said.

Supply-chain challenges

It is not surprising that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated issues concerning supply chain security, and in 2021 an industry survey from Informa Connect reported that the COVID-19 pandemic was still affecting supply chains.

“Suppliers typically use a reactive supply chain where they respond to demand as it is occurring or with some level of forecasting incorporated. When major disruptions occur, this model does not work.  In addition, with the rapid growth of the industry, existing suppliers are running out of capacity due to physical space and finding the right employees is becoming increasingly difficult,” the spokesperson said.

A solution to a reactive supply chain is by taking a proactive approach and Entegris does this “By asking for an 18-month non-binding forecast, [which] allows manufacturers to tell you what they think will happen without having to send in an order for the entire amount.

“With this information Entegris is able to plan for and meet  demand contingencies.  This allows us to stay ahead of demand on capacity and keep our lead times short.  Thinking long term and being a reliable partner is our approach to helping our customers avoid disruptions to their manufacturing processes.”