BCG and Thomas Jefferson University Announce Digital Demonstrator for Innovation in Biopharma Operations

PHILADELPHIA—Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing (JIB) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) today announced the creation of the JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator for digital innovation in operations.

The demonstrator, the first of its kind in the US, is a unique collaboration between selected innovative technology providers and industry experts from JIB and BCG. Once completed, the JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator will represent a unique offering to health care clients seeking to understand the intersection between Industry 4.0 and manufacturing and supply chains, representing a seamlessly integrated proof-of-concept study on new innovations and ways of working.

The focus of JIB is hands-on training of industry professionals through workshops and certificates, along with hands-on education of new bioprocessing engineers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“Industry 4.0 technologies have the potential to deliver transformative benefits to the biopharma industry. Building on the vision, the JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator will provide a robust proof-of-concept for 4.0 technologies in JIB’s facility. In turn, this will support the optimal deployment of these technologies in biopharma manufacturing operations in the United States and beyond,” says Parviz Shamlou, the executive director of JIB.

JIB is the first—and only—specialized education and training institute for biopharmaceutical processing in North America that combines commercial single-use processing equipment with the internationally recognized National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) curriculum.

As biopharma manufacturing becomes increasingly complex, globalized, and more highly regulated, the sector must improve its operations to increase quality and supply performance, while reducing cost to the patient. In other industries (including aerospace, defense, and automotive), the deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies has delivered significant benefits to manufacturing performance. However, biopharma is currently significantly behind other advanced manufacturing sectors in its adoption of disruptive technologies.

The demonstrator will help address the significant need for skilled workforces in biopharma, particularly in the biomanufacturing sector. The JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator will fulfil this unmet need by offering a broad range of trainings to advance the skills and knowledge of scientists, engineers, and technicians who work in process development and biomanufacturing of biopharmaceuticals and biologics.

“The collaboration with JIB on the new demonstrator, along with the existing demonstrator built in partnership with NIBRT, are core components of BCG’s strategy to drive the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in biopharma. We believe that the maturity of the technology and the current state of the biopharma manufacturing industry create a unique opportunity to apply Industry 4.0 technologies and drive a step change improvement in manufacturing performance,” says Paul Poduri, a BCG managing director and partner. “The JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator provides the platform, capabilities, and expertise that our clients require to deliver this.”

The team has recently completed the vision and design blueprint, which lays out in detail the Industry 4.0 use cases as applied to biopharma manufacturing. The JIB-BCG Digital Demonstrator will now move into the next phase, involving the physical build-out in JIB’s Pennsylvania facility, preparing for a soft launch in the spring of 2020.

For more information, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com or Angela Showell at +1 215 520 1104 or angela.showell@jefferson.edu. 

About Thomas Jefferson University

Thomas Jefferson University is a leader in interdisciplinary, professional education. Jefferson, home of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, is a preeminent university delivering high-impact education in 160 undergraduate and graduate programs to 8,100 students in architecture, business, design, engineering, fashion and textiles, health, science, and social science. The new Jefferson is re-defining the higher education value proposition with an approach that is collaborative and active; increasingly global; integrated with industry; focused on research across disciplines to foster innovation and discovery; and technology-enhanced. Student-athletes compete as the Jefferson Rams in the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.