Pfizer migrates at Kent site

Sandwich, UK - Pharmaceuticals major Pfizer has recently migrated to a new base platform while retaining the existing application software at its site in Sandwich in Kent - its European R&D headquarters, which currently employs around 3,500 people.

Pfizer’s Sandwich laboratories have a strong track record of discovering medicines that improve world health and some of Pfizer’s most important medicines, treating diseases such as HIV and cardiovascular disease, were discovered here.

The application, which involved Wonderware, focused on the kilo laboratory and the pilot plant areas of the Sandwich site. The former produces small quantities of substances for compound development, while the latter produces larger, yet still small, quantities of packaged products for clinical trials.

The migration was from from a system based around Wonderware’s InTouch v7.1 to Wonderware InTouch v9.5. The existing pilot plant control system (PCS) operated reliably but much of the system's software platform was based on software that had been superseded by newer versions.

While this was not an immediate problem, it would have eventually restricted further development of the PCS. Further, it was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain PC hardware that supported the existing Windows NT4 operating system used by the PCS.

The challenges were to update software and hardware, migration to a new platform, achieve cost savings (using terminal services), open connectivity and reduced maintenance. The nub was running two systems in parallel to allow a gradual transfer to the new system while maintaining plant operation.

Integrator In Total Control (UK) Ltd, originally led the technical design and implementation of the control systems for both the pilot plant and kilo lab. Since completing the main project, the company continued to provide support, and implemented numerous system enhancements. The company also developed a plant performance metrics database to provide management information to plant managers and supervisors.

“When we started the migration, we took the existing InTouch 7.1 application and loaded it into InTouch 9.5. Our tag server application was 100% compatible,” said Dave Kaplan, technical director at In Total Control. “We had already been advised of new alarm objects for the application by Wonderware, which gives us great confidence that the migrated system will continue to be supported well into the future.”

A key aspect of the migration exercise was the running of two systems simultaneously, something enabled by the ‘NetAck’ software from Wonderware UK, a trading name of Solutions PT. NetAck allowed the synchronisation of alarm acknowledgement between the two systems allowing operators on either system to see the same alarm statuses. There was no disruption to the 24x7 production process during installation – and the existing application migrated to the new platform reducing the need for lengthy validation and operator training exercises.

Pfizer also used Terminal Services to reduce the number of Wonderware licenses required from 45 Standard In Touch licenses to 15 Terminal services concurrent users’ licenses. Terminal Services is a technology enabling platforms with no Wonderware software installed to connect to a server which will run InTouch on its behalf in a ‘session’.

License utilisation was improved using scripting to manage load sharing on the servers. The scripting ensures connections are given even distribution and terminated automatically when not in use, allowing an operator to easily roam around the plant and log in wherever necessary. Using the concurrent licensing model meant any 15 machines could be used at any one time, and idle machines did not use a license.

Pfizer wanted a seamless migration to a new platform, with updated software and hardware products backed by full support. Use of Wondwerware InTouch for Terminal Services means it now takes 30 minutes to build a new client. Further, the Terminal Services architecture has cut the engineering time needed to implement changes to the system as only the server machine requires updating.

The backward compatibility of the software also avoided the need for a complete plant shutdown, with a positive impact on plant disruption and overall project timescales. According to Wonderware, Pfizer’s plans include expanding the Historian capability to manage 10 years of data and make it available company-wide, and also upgrading to InTouch v10.