A Year of Change: Review and Preview at Hamilton Process Analytics Why Dr. Philipp Arquint from Hamilton Focuses on New Fields of Application and Sustainability

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For one year now, Dr. Philipp Arquint has been heading the Process Analytics Business Unit of Hamilton Bonaduz AG as Vice President. A lot has changed in this time and the future also seems to bring numerous new challenges. We reviewed the past few months with him and asked what the future holds.

Dr. Arquint, you have been Vice President of Hamilton's Process Analytics Business Unit for a year. Have you been able to observe any new developments in the industry over the past few months? If so, how has Hamilton reacted to them?

Dr. Philipp Arquint: In every respect the last few years have been intense for us as a company. During the pandemic, global vaccine production and thus demand for our sensor technology reached a new record level. At the same time, there were significant supply bottlenecks at our own suppliers, which exacerbated an already challenging situation. Despite these circumstances, we were able to significantly increase our production capacity. Even with the slowdown in specific COVID-19 demand, the BioPharma market remains extremely attractive.

However, customers' inventories are well stocked and pharmaceutical manufacturers have built up excess capacity, which is currently leading to restrained orders from this market segment. We had prepared for this and are now increasing our efforts in other market segments that are recovering after the pandemic. The fact that we are so well positioned is primarily due to our innovative focus, which continuously generates new products. With these, we help our customers to achieve safe bioprocesses and shortened time to market. In addition, we are continuing our efforts to expand our sales and service to better serve new markets and customers.

Have there also been any internal changes in recent months?

Arquint: Absolutely, we have experienced an exciting development here. As a team, we have recognized how important it is to live some proven ways of working more strongly again and we value personal contact even more than before. In the sales area, the long-lasting phase of Corona isolation has led to changes. Traditional face-to-face visits to our customers have been replaced by an innovative "hybrid" model of virtual and face-to-face meetings. Our team has been actively involved in shaping this change and is looking to the future with motivation and commitment.

We noticed that the opportunity to work from home motivates our employees and supports an improved work-life balance. That’s the reason why we are determined to combine the benefits of home office with the strengths of on-site teamwork. This combination has benefits not only for our employees, but also for the company as a whole, as it makes Hamilton an even more attractive employer. As a result we introduced a flexible working model with a home office component after the pandemic.

Improved washing process to optimise OSD production

Cleaning flexibility to ensure high washing performance

Are there any new or growing markets for Hamilton Process Analytics?

Arquint: During the rapid production of large quantities of vaccine our single-use products were bestsellers. The speed at which vaccine manufacturers were able to put their products to market thanks to single-use was previously unimaginable. We are still noticing increased interest in this area. In addition, there is the market in downstream processes, where we are now also successfully selling. In the biopharma sector, we have so far focused on the upstream area. But our technology is also ideally suited for the downstream sector. It plays into our hands that the requirements in the upstream and downstream areas are similar. Additionally, we already have many applications in the Cultivated Meat area, which is an exciting and forward-looking market between biotechnology and food technology. Switzerland already plays a pioneering role in this segment on the European continent. If we look at the USA or Singapore, the topic of cultivated food is already on the rise. Not least because of the continuing global population growth and for reasons of sustainability, we see an opportunity here, as we are the only sensor manufacturer able to provide the complete solution package for this specific market.

How important is sustainability in Hamilton's strategy? Aren't single-use applications in conflict with this?

Arquint: If you compare classic reusable sensors with single-use sensors, you have to look at the entire life cycle assessment. The biopharma industry has extremely strict hygiene regulations. For this reason, processes in classic steel tanks require extensive cleaning cycles which not only entail enormous energy expenditure, but also involve a high volume of chemicals. Depending on the application, both variants offer their advantages and almost balance each other out in terms of eco-balance. As far as our reusable products are concerned, we have always focused on efficiency, robustness and quality, and thus on sustainable and long-term use.

In general, the topic of sustainability is very important to Hamilton and also to me personally. Furthermore, our customers expect professional sustainability strategies from us. After all we are part of their supply chain and therefore contribute to their sustainability rating as a supplier. That's why we're constantly working on getting better and making our supply processes and production more ecological. For example, not all products necessarily have to be flown in. The sea route is also an alternative, and packaging can always be further optimized or made more environmentally friendly. We also cover part of our energy requirements at our new production site in Ems by an extensive photovoltaic system. There is a lot going on at our site and these processes are actively monitored by a team specially appointed for this purpose.

In the past months Hamilton has created an amazing number of innovations. Is it possible to continue this trend?

Arquint: One of the main success factors of our entrepreneurial activities is our innovative spirit. In this context we invest a large part of our sales in our innovations. This is what sets us apart and we pursue this strategy stringently. Our orientation is long-term - that means we have to stay on the ball, have staying power and always look toward the future. This is the only way we can deliver the products that are needed for technological progress and that take our customers' processes to a new level.

Are there currently any requirements on the part of customers in the biopharma sector that still need to be met in the future? Or is everything already covered by the PAT requirements of the FDA (Process Analytical Technology)?

Arquint: Yes, in the biopharma sector there are continuously new requirements from customers that need to be met. Although the PAT specifications provide important guidelines, our mission drives us beyond that. We are committed to improving every bioprocess and solving biopharma challenges with our innovative sensor technology. This vision drives us to work closely with our customers to develop innovative solutions which go beyond existing standards. The industry is constantly evolving, and we are determined to accompany our customers on their path to success by fulfilling their changing needs with our customized products and services.

Hamilton sensor technology and communication convince with low maintenance requirements and resistance to e.g., cleaning cycles – is the demand for service shrinking against this background?

Arquint: Our customers want an All-Inclusive package, and as manufacturers they take us to task. Especially in the biopharmaceutical industry, the specifications are challenging. The FDA performs meticulous tests and demands the highest quality. Although our sensors are low-maintenance and robust, they must be regularly inspected and monitored – and preferably by the manufacturer itself, as this is where the necessary expertise lies. Therefore, we are currently increasingly expanding the "Service as a Product" area to meet the continuously growing demand. Last but not least we have to ensure that our customers are fully satisfied and can concentrate exclusively on their core business.

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