Pharma EXPO’s Conference Addresses Efficiency and Workforce Development in Day-Long Manufacturing Operations Track

The Manufacturing Operations track of the Pharma EXPO Conference Program will address efficiency, supplier partnerships, workforce development and more during this fall’s Pharma EXPO, co-located with PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2015 (Sept. 28–30; Las Vegas Convention Center). The series of seminars will make up the first day of the world-class conference produced by the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). ISPE co-owns Pharma EXPO with PMMI, The Association of Packaging and Processing Technologies, and curates the conference program.

“Successful manufacturing operations depend on the best technologies, processes and skilled workers,” said Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI, which owns and produces the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows. “The track ISPE has come up with for Monday will provide knowledge attendees need to move closer to that goal. We’re very pleased ISPE is organizing the conference.”

As part of the Manufacturing Operations track, five sessions will detail technologies and practices to overcome challenges affecting professionals across the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biotech and medical device industries.

Given the importance of workforce development across the manufacturing sector, a wide range of attendees will benefit from the spotlight session, “Manufacturing Excellence: Empower Employees to Unleash Their Potential in High Performance Work Teams,” led by Steve Speer, director, Operations, ProPharma Group.

The challenge of maximizing efficiency is another notable theme. The first session, “Single Use Systems: Explore the Manufacturing Impact from Supplier Qualification to Optimizing Operations,” led by Jeff Odum, director of operations, IPS-Integrated Project Services, Inc., will address concerns in implementing new single-use system platforms into existing platforms based on traditional, stainless steel technologies.

Making the right asset investment decisions — or selecting the best possible contract manufacturer — is also an important factor contributing to a manufacturer’s overall efficiency. In “ISO 55000 and OEMs Who Integrate Reliability & Automation in their Designs,” Mari Getsug, senior consultant, Maintenance & Reliability Services, CAI-Commissioning Agents, Inc., explores the role original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) play in helping manufacturers achieve reliable, successful equipment design in the age of the new ISO 55000 Asset Management standards. ISO 55000 focuses on lifecycle cost and risk-based performance.

Additionally, Kevin Debbs, process specialist, and Christa Myers, associate/lead process engineer, CRB, will guide attendees in a risk assessment exercise to evaluate contract manufacturing organizations for a project in “Outsourcing Dilemma: Find the Right CMO to Minimize the Risk and Maximize the Quality of Your Brand.”

In a presentation that marries matters of efficiency and product safety, Elizabeth Rivera, technical services manager, STERIS Corp, will outline a holistic approach to remediate microbial contamination in process equipment in: “Microbial Contamination: An Audit Approach to Address Contamination in Process Equipment.”

The Pharma EXPO Conference Program kicks off with the Manufacturing Operations track on Sept. 28 with sessions from 9:00 a.m.–2:50 p.m. in Room N-253. Register for Pharma EXPO and view the full Pharma EXPO Conference Program schedule and pricing at pharmaexpo.com. Pharma EXPO, which is making its Las Vegas debut, will provide a wide range of solutions to address the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle. Combined, Pharma EXPO and PACK EXPO Las Vegas will feature processing and packaging innovation over 800,000 net square feet of exhibit space from more than 2,000 exhibitors to attract 30,000 attendees.

Registration for PACK EXPO and Pharma EXPO is $30 through Sept. 14, when it increases to $100.

About PMMI
PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, is a trade association representing more than 700 companies that provide a full range of processing and packaging machinery, materials, components and containers. PMMI actively brings buyers and sellers together through initiatives such as packexpo.com, educational programs and world-class events, connecting participants in the processing and packaging supply chain with their customers around the world. PMMI produces the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows that include PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2015 (Sept. 28–30, Las Vegas Convention Center); Pharma EXPO, co-located with PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2015; EXPO PACK México 2016, May 17–20, (Mexico City, Expo Bancomer Santa Fe); PACK EXPO International 2016, Nov. 6–9 (McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.); Pharma EXPO, co-located with PACK EXPO International 2016; PACK EXPO East 2017, Feb. 27–March 1, (Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia) and EXPO PACK Guadalajara 2017, June 13–15, 2017 (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico). PMMI owns the PMMI Media Group, a market-leading B2B media company that produces information for processing and packaging professionals, bringing together solution providers and end-users and facilitating connectivity throughout the supply chain. Its world class media brands - Packaging World, Automation World, Healthcare Packaging, Contract Packaging and Packaging + Processing OEM- are proven leaders in covering this diverse and dynamic marketplace, and its digital products incorporate leading edge media technologies to deliver informed, actionable business intelligence to the industry. PMMI Media Group also produces The Automation Conference, an annual education and networking forum, taking place in Chicago each spring.

Learn more at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com and pmmimediagroup.com.

About ISPE
ISPE, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, is the world’s largest not-for-profit association serving its Members through leading scientific, technical and regulatory advancement throughout the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle. The 20,000 Members of ISPE are building solutions in the development and manufacture of safe and effective pharmaceutical and biologic medicines and medical delivery devices in more than 90 countries around the world. Founded in 1980, ISPE has its worldwide headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA and offices in Brussels, Belgium, Singapore and Shanghai, China. Visit www.ISPE.org for more information.