Time-To-Market Record: Major EPCM Project in Just 24 Months

Boehringer Ingelheim and ZETA have had a long-standing, successful partnership. In 2019, the global pharmaceutical company approached ZETA with a significant challenge. The goal was to implement a major EPCM project at the Boehringer Ingelheim RCV site in Vienna, Austria, in just 24 months.

ZETA accepted the challenge and successfully managed the entire project – called G3Leopold – as a one-stop-shop for the customer. Everything was included: from the engineering of the entire plant, the process area, the architecture, and the technical building equipment, to the execution of the process plant, automation, commissioning, and qualification.

Boehringer Ingelheim commissioned ZETA with the general planning, construction supervision, and project management for all project phases of the entire facility, right through to commissioning. The planning, execution, and automation of the production process itself was in the hands of ZETA, and reliable partners were consulted in the sectors of construction, building services, and electrical engineering.

The top priority in the project: Time, Time, Time

Time to market for a product is one of the most significant factors for biopharmaceutical production. The sooner medicines are ready for the market; the faster patient care can be ensured. ZETA has proven design and implementation strategies to shorten overall project times. The overlap of project phases is essential to saving valuable time and is an established best practice at ZETA.

Implementing “Ultra-Fast-Track” projects is an ongoing challenge that is addressed in ZETA biopharmaceutical projects. The complex G3 Leopold project broke time-to-market records: after groundbreaking on October 24th, 2019, the shell construction was completed at the beginning of April 2020, interior fittings and assembly followed by the end of September 2020, and commissioning in March 2021.

A project lead time of only 24 months for this major project? The customer specified a highly ambitious timeline to meet its stringent time-to-market objectives. It was half the time that is usually allocated! ZETA accepted the challenge and took ownership of the tight timeline.