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Amanda Portis |
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Participants |
While some assignments were simple, such as researching pH sampling procedures in all of the building’s processes, creating a spreadsheet to document the time it takes for a process change to be approved, and verifying volatile organic compound reports, other assignments took a larger amount of time. Because of my experience with the facility, I was given the opportunity to take on the role of production engineer for several processes within my building. As part of this job, I was required to make decisions if any difficulties or problems occurred, as well as look for ways to improve the production of the processes. Some of these activities involved updating process procedures to include recent equipment changes and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) requirements, getting immediate approval to use pure solvent when solvent recycle lines were down, reducing the amount of equipment used for each process, developing methods of re-processing the product when it didn’t meet final quality or yield specifications, and investigating reasons why these quality and yield problems occurred. Another main portion of my time this summer was spent analyzing the equipment utilization for the building. Basing my analysis on the planned production budgeted for 2004 and the average amount of time each product takes to produce, I calculated the amount of hours each reactor vessel, feed vessel, and filter would be used for the 2004 year. Results showed some equipment was being used less than 4 weeks out of the year while others were scheduled for over 52 weeks. I looked at ways of adjusting equipment use for each process so that all equipment would be used for less than 52 weeks, but more than 25 weeks out of the year. Guidelines for vessel and filter cleanings have become increasingly stricter over the years. As a result, many of the cleaning records for the building needed to be updated to reflect these regulations. The newer records needed to reflect both the current products produced in the tanks and the current equipment set-up of the tanks. A tank with steroid contact must go through a more rigorous cleaning procedure than a tank that only contains solvents or is used for premixing salt solutions. I authored newer, simpler cleaning records for tanks that did not have steroid contact. I also updated the steroid cleaning records for a majority of the vessels in the building. This involved determining the best solvent for the cleaning, as well as the amount of solvent to use. The solvent selection process took into consideration the material of construction of the vessel and all the contents it contains for a specific process. The records needed to meet all required guidelines, while at the same time remaining simple, thereby minimizing the time needed to clean the vessels. While my internship experience was mainly helpful to Pfizer due to the numerous activities I completed for the company, I felt I also benefited greatly from the experience. I learned the value of considering all views on a project before reaching a final conclusion, taking into consideration the views of production, quality, research and development, and operator thoughts. Sometimes a simple solution at first glance isn’t so simple once the details are considered. Most importantly, I believe I came away this summer with a better understanding of day to day chemical engineering job duties and requirements. The experience confirmed my decision to pursue full-time employment with a pharmaceutical/biotechnology company, possibly extending my interest to the food industry as well. |
