Basel, Switzerland – January 2026 – Novartis AG, a global pharmaceutical leader, has announced a 22% reduction in drug batch processing time and 30% lower compliance documentation costs after deploying the ABB PM864AK01 3BSE018161R CPU module at its oral solid dosage (OSD) manufacturing plant in Basel. The upgrade, completed in Q4 2025, addressed critical inefficiencies in the plant’s batch control system—where legacy CPUs struggled with sequential process delays and manual compliance logging, costing the company €350,000 annually in lost production capacity.
The Challenge: Batch Control Speed and Regulatory Compliance
Prior to adopting the ABB PM864AK01, Novartis’ Basel plant faced four key challenges:
- Slow Batch Sequencing: Legacy CPUs processed 5–6 batch steps sequentially, taking 14 hours to produce one batch of oral medications. Parallel processing was impossible due to limited computing power.
- Manual Compliance Logging: Operators spent 12 hours per batch documenting process data (temperature, pressure, mixing time) for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, leading to 2–3 data entry errors per batch.
- Limited Recipe Flexibility: Changing drug formulations required 4–5 hours of CPU reprogramming, slowing the launch of new medications.
- High Downtime for Upgrades: Legacy CPUs required full plant shutdowns (8 hours) for firmware updates, causing 48 hours of annual downtime.
“Pharmaceutical manufacturing demands speed, precision, and compliance—our old CPUs were falling short on all three,” said Dr. Claudia Meier, Novartis’ Plant Technical Director. “We needed a CPU that could run batch steps in parallel, automate compliance logging, and adapt quickly to new recipes.”
ABB PM864AK01: The CPU for Pharma Process Control
After evaluating competitors from Emerson and Honeywell, Novartis selected the ABB PM864AK01 for its parallel processing capabilities, compliance features, and compatibility with ABB’s Symphony Plus DCS:
- Parallel Process Execution: Dual-core CPU runs 8+ batch steps simultaneously, cutting processing time by eliminating sequential delays.
- Automated Compliance Logging: Integrates with ABB’s Batch Management System (BMS), automatically logging process data with time stamps and audit trails—reducing documentation time by 80%.
- Fast Recipe Changes: Pre-configured recipe libraries and drag-and-drop programming reduce formulation changes to 30 minutes (vs. 4–5 hours).
- Hot-Swappable Firmware Updates: Updates can be installed without plant shutdowns, eliminating upgrade-related downtime.
- Pharma-Specific Certifications: Meets FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GMP, and ISO 13485 standards, ensuring compliance with global pharmaceutical regulations.
Results: Faster Production and Simplified Compliance
