Project: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bulk Biologics Manufacturing Facility
Location: Limerick, Ireland
Background:
- The project scope included 440,000 GSF of large scale biologics manufacturing, process development research laboratories, and extensive site infrastructure work. The project was recognized as the largest biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the world and was built to the most aggressive schedule metrics for a large scale facility.
- The Cardinal Group was engaged by Regeneron to manage the execution of their new biologics manufacturing project. The Cardinal team led the procurement of all design firms, the construction manager, subcontractors, and equipment vendors.
Solutions:
- Due to the aggressive schedule goals and limited subcontractor market, the Cardinal team developed procurement subcontracting strategies to mitigate marketplace deficiencies that would have prevented critical early schedule milestones from being met. Critical work areas were broken down into multiple packages, each bid competitively. Design deliverables were aligned with this procurement strategy to allow multiple contractors to commence on site simultaneously. This strategy allowed the project to meet the very aggressive milestones for the utility plant, site infrastructure, and turnover of the first process train.
- Cardinal implemented disciplined project controls and governance procedures. Upon completion of their two year project audit, KPMG deemed Cardinal’s controls as “Effective” – their highest possible rating.
- The project was challenged by significant delays from a component manufacturer which jeopardized critical milestones. Early schedule reporting from the vendor was poor and consistently inaccurate. Cardinal was mobilized to the vendor’s shop on a full time basis and developed a detailed fabrication schedule that included activities of suppliers, sub-vendors, and internal vendor manufacturing groups. This detailed schedule provided the necessary transparency to allow us to directly expedite the critical path activities in the supply chain on a valve by valve basis. Through effective leadership and a hands-on approach, Cardinal was able to secure the necessary improvements to the fabrication schedule.