Lean manufacturing: Increased flexibility in enzyme production

Biocatalysts, a company of the BRAIN Group, has expanded its production facilities. The plant’s centerpiece is the 10,000-litre fermenter in which enzymes are produced.

Biocatalysts Ltd. has been a member of the BRAIN Group since 2018. Based in Cardiff, UK, the biotech company offers specialty enzymes for a wide range of industries. In addition to the food industry, these include the life sciences sector and the pharmaceutical industry. They also provide enzymes for the manufacturer of fine chemicals.

What does a biotech company do, that has been specializing in enzyme production for 35 years? It uses its long-standing experience and skills to discover, develop and produce novel enzymes. Enzymes are molecules that can accelerate chemical reactions in nature and can be utilized in industrial processes to speed up a reaction, reduce the temperature at which the process needed to take place or change the chemical structure of a molecule to improve its functionality, i.e generating flavour.

Biocatalysts have a number of expression platforms that produce the enzyme during a fermentation process ranging from bacteria such as E. coli or Bacillus or yeasts such as Pichia and Yarrowia; the host selected is dependent on the type of enzyme being produced. The globally active company offers standard "off the shelf" enzymes as well as tailor made enzymes developed and produced according to customer requirements.

State-of-the-art technology

Biocatalysts can produce enzymes from laboratory grade for enzyme evaluation purposes to full commercial scale producing large volumes: production is done on a tonne scale. In order to further expand its capacities, the company began the fit out of it new, state-of-the-art production facility last year. The aim is to increase fermentation capacity greater than sixteen-fold. The plant houses world-leading technologies and is based on the principle of lean manufacturing. The goal: to waste fewer resources and produce more efficiently.

While the new plant and its centerpiece, a 10,000L fermenter, will be available for production according to plan, the inauguration ceremony had to be postponed due to the corona pandemic. Rod Sears-Black, Managing Director of Biocatalysts said in March 2020: "The decision was not taken lightly but with the rapidly changing coronavirus situation, we believe that this is the right decision to take. We are very proud of our new Enzyme Manufacturing Facility and will celebrate its completion at a future date.”

For more information on the capacity of the new plant and the start of operation in March, please refer to this blog text on the Biocatalysts website.