Customer case
Global pharmaceutical company partners with NNIT to implement MES at highly automated pharma factory
NNIT worked closely with a global pharmaceutical company as the MES implementation partner for a highly automated solid-dose production facility in Germany. The successful collaboration yielded several important insights and will serve as a blueprint for future MES implementation projects at the client organization.
Implementing MES in a Highly Automated Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility
With the recent opening of the new production facility, the pharmaceutical company has taken a major step toward fully automated life sciences manufacturing. As the MES implementation partner on the project, NNIT played a key role from start to finish.
The new facility is one of the most advanced pharmaceutical factories in the world, featuring highly automated processes, autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), and a modular design that provides flexibility and enables easier expansion. The project began in 2019 and was completed with production going live in early 2025. It is intended as a blueprint for future facilities within the organization, both in terms of processes, equipment, and digital infrastructure.
Highly structured implementation process
The high level of automation required the facility’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to be fully integrated with all processes and equipment. Early in the project, the pharmaceutical company selected NNIT as its MES implementation partner, laying the foundation for close collaboration throughout the program.
To minimize the risk of delays and costly surprises, the project team employed NNIT’s Accelerated MES Implementation Methodology, drawing on NNIT’s extensive life sciences expertise and experience from previous MES implementations to accelerate execution.
From the very beginning of the project, the client and NNIT worked closely together to define and design the implementation approach from start to finish. NNIT contributed its specialized expertise in life sciences manufacturing and equipment integration.
Because the facility was highly automated, it was essential to understand the processes in detail and ensure that all data was fit for purpose.
Denny Kettwig, Director, Digital Manufacturing, NNIT
Essential attention to detail
The deep insight into the business processes and close attention to detail proved invaluable. A key challenge in the system architecture was the tight integration between systems from AGVs handling logistics and production units processing materials to digital systems such as MES and ERP platforms controlling and documenting operations.
Detailed walkthroughs of the planned production processes were conducted in the initial phase. However, not all elements were fully defined at that point, and many details evolved over the course of the three-year timeline. To address this, the team created a flexible process map that functioned as a “toolbox,” allowing the client to select the appropriate process paths once the final setup was confirmed, explains Denny Kettwig.
While this approach increased overall complexity by requiring consideration of multiple scenarios, it ensured that both digital systems and production equipment could meet all requirements. Throughout the project, NNIT worked closely with equipment vendors to define and scope future-proof interfaces.
User requirement lists and specifications were shared with vendors early in the process, making it essential to consider all potential scenarios. Discovering late-stage issues such as missing fields in XML messages can cause significant setbacks if underlying processes and data structures were not fully defined years earlier, says Denny Kettwig.
Recipe design training
As part of the implementation, NNIT provided support and training to the client’s local line of business and recipe design teams on MES capabilities and translating manufacturing processes into executable recipes. This included the latest message-based shopfloor integration (MSI) functionalities, particularly relevant for advanced automation and equipment integration and previously unused by the client organization.
Because the facility was designed to manufacture a new product, significant time was spent with the local teams designing recipes optimized for a highly automated environment. This strong focus on training and upskilling ensures that the client can fully leverage the MES after go-live and during the hypercare phase, concludes Denny Kettwig
