In March 2020, when India announced nationwide lockdown, the pharmaceutical industry faced a lot of challenges in managing the crisis, people, and non-availability of adequate manufacturing raw materials & resources.
Client Requirement
The Global pharma company was facing a shortage of HEPA filters during the first lockdown imposed in March 2020. One of their unit operations had a shutdown requirement of HEPA filters with strict delivery deadlines. AAF’s competitors were the solution provider to the pharma company. But, due to lockdown and partial production activity, they were unsure of their delivery commitments.
The customer knew, if the shutdown deadline is not met, their production will suffer, and they may incur a loss. Because of close contact with the AAF sales team, the company invited AAF for this critical requirement, and we took the opportunity to prove our capabilities.
AAF sales team responded to the emergency requirement and immediately met the concerns of the customer for a detailed understanding of the HEPA filter design needs.
Technical Situation
The HEPA filters designed by the competitor for the client’s housing were different (120 mm and 135mm Gel Type Filter frames) from the standard HEPA filters size of 105 & 149mm.
The sales team urged the R&D team to develop the 120 mm External Gel and 135 mm Top Gel Filter Frames to fit the competitor’s housing. The team developed the filter frames as per the requirement and conducted a site fitment test with the help of the sales team.
Customized HEPA Filter for AHUs: AstroCel I H14
New AstroCel I HEPA filters have undergone an auto-scan test to ensure no pinhole leaks. This scanning process detects these leaks, which are repaired before the filter is released for shipment. The pleat openings and exits of the Astrocel I filter deliver low entrance and exit losses. This, combined with less restriction from separator material and better media utilization, delivers a low-pressure drop.
Customized HEPA Filter for Cleanrooms: AstroCel II H14
New AstroCel II HEPA filters are also auto-scan-tested filters that are ideal for demanding operating conditions in critical applications. It is known to have a longer service life, and lower energy consumption means fewer change-outs and lower operating costs.
Results
AAF sales engineers had a close interaction with the clients and delivered the first set of HEPA filters. The customized filters fitted perfectly into the client’s housing and helped start the operations unit. Timely delivery and customized HEPA design satisfied the customer. AAF’s prompt response, close interaction, technical capabilities, and multiple delivery assurance helped AAF to gain more confidence in the customized solutions. AAF won the PAN India replacement worth about ₹ 5 Million by successfully meeting the design requirements and meeting the required delivery deadlines. Now, AAF is the 1st preference of the company for any Air Filtration requirement.
After the successful development of the new HEPA filter design in 135mm thickness, AAF has been successful in replacing the competition filter with this new series to multiple other customers at various PAN India Locations.
To know more, please check AAF.