Projects

Roche / Kaiser (USA multi-site)


Precision environmental control for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

3

Secure sites

Spread across Indiana and New Jersey.

Background

Three sites equipped with precision environmental control systems designed to their exact specifications, delivered on time, respecting site constraints and performing to the requirements of the specification. Energy costs were reduced thanks to integrated heat recovery and efficient fan technology. Finally, Roche benefited from a manufacturing partner that understood its processes well enough to solve problems before they turned into costly change orders.

The renewal of our collaboration across several sites speaks for itself.

1
grain/lb (~0.14 g/kg)
Humidity target (moisture content of the air).
3
secure sites

A relationship built on consistent delivery

Roche Pharmaceuticals first called on Air2O to solve a technically demanding environmental control problem, and came back to us for every subsequent site. Across three manufacturing sites, Air2O acted as a full engineering and manufacturing partner: designing and building custom desiccant dehumidification units (DHUs) and air handling units (AHUs) that meet Roche’s strict process requirements while adapting to real-world site constraints. Roche keeps coming back because the equipment performs, the partnership is reliable and the solutions are designed around their specific needs, not adapted from a catalogue.

Project scope

  • Sites concerned Three Roche pharmaceutical manufacturing sites: a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems plant in Indiana; two diagnostic test strip manufacturing plants in New Jersey.
  • Equipment supplied Custom-designed desiccant dehumidification units (DHUs) and air handling units (AHUs).
  • Services provided Engineering design, custom manufacturing, factory acceptance testing (FAT) and delivery.
  • Client challenge Ultra-low-humidity manufacturing environments with demanding site constraints: limited floor space, structural load restrictions and installation limits, all without compromising process performance or energy efficiency.

The technical challenge

Roche’s manufacturing processes require extreme humidity control: conditions that standard market equipment simply cannot achieve. Each site also had its own set of physical constraints: restricted floor space for equipment, structural load limits and installation restrictions that ruled out conventional approaches.

From the outset, Air2O worked directly with Roche’s engineering team, treating each project as a design-and-build engagement rather than a simple procurement exercise. The result was a tailored solution for each site that met both the process requirements and the physical realities on the ground, without ever asking Roche to compromise on either.

Key technical achievements

  • Pharmaceutical-grade performance: Supply air delivered at a moisture content of around 1 grain/lb (~0.14 g/kg), supporting Roche’s most sensitive manufacturing processes.
  • Maximum airtightness: Near-zero air leakage achieved at a casing differential pressure of around 10 inches of water gauge (w.g.), ensuring process integrity and contamination control across all units.
  • Adaptive design: Equipment dimensions and weight optimised to fit each site’s specific structural and installation constraints, with no compromise on performance.
  • Fully bespoke: Fully customised configurations developed for each site, tailored to Roche’s process requirements and facility conditions, rather than starting from a standard product range.

Energy efficiency innovations

Air2O integrated advanced energy-saving technologies into each installation to reduce Roche’s long-term operating costs and support its sustainability goals:

  • Run-around glycol loop heat recovery Integrated into the desiccant reactivation process to capture and reuse waste heat, reducing reactivation energy consumption at every site.
  • Oval-tube heat exchangers Improved heat transfer efficiency while reducing air-side pressure drop, delivering more performance with less energy.
  • Infinitum EC fan technology Significant reduction in fan energy consumption and ongoing maintenance requirements across all units.

Testimonial

“Roche comes back to us because our equipment performs, our partnership is reliable and our solutions are designed to meet its specific needs, rather than simply being adapted from a catalogue.”

Mike Sullivan,

CEO, Air2O

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