Modular mRNA Manufacturing Facility in Rwanda

Germfree were contracted to deliver two modularised vaccine manufacturing suites for a multinational pharmaceutical client. The first project, situated in Germany, was completed in two phases as a proof of concept, achieving a Percentage Manufactured Value of 78% of works completed offsite. A second project was then commissioned with Germfree to deliver suites into central Africa, with the PMV achieving 98% of works completed offsite, including full factory acceptance testing and commissioning. During development of project two, our design time decreased by 50% as the scheme was proven as a flexible and scalable solution through the adaption of a standardised and repeatable design.

As we developed the project together with our client team, improvements were tabled and implemented allowing the total time spent on site with the installation of the modules to reduce from 12 weeks on Phase One to 4 weeks on Phase Two. This joint learning and development supported our client to honour their commitment to deliver facilities to an African state in 2022; a historic event for the continent and humanity as we responded to the global pandemic of Covid-19.

The Germfree Modular Cleanrooms are fully self-contained pharmaceutical facilities which are scalable to suit clients’ needs, transportable globally due to their standard 40-foot container size and customisable to our clients processes and requirements. To date, Germfree have delivered multiple modular cleanrooms to clients within Ireland, Mainland Europe, and to the continent of Africa. To demonstrate our versatility, we chartered the Antonov AN124, one of the largest cargo planes currently available globally, to transport the first of the modular units into Rwanda.

The significance of this delivery was a major political event for the African Union highlighting the speed at which these modular facilities can be deployed globally, using various means of transport to achieve the required goals, to regions that would not be traditionally considered for pharmaceutical facilities. The launch of the Modular Cleanrooms bound for Africa by our client was attended by senior leaders of WHO (World Health Organization) as well as several Presidents and Prime Ministers from the African Union, European Union and other global dignitaries, all of which received significant media coverage.