July 2010 – Intermech Inc., a Bahnson Holdings, Inc. Group Company, recently completed the successful installation of over 12,500 lineal feet of process piping for Merck's new Therapeutic Proteins Bulk facility located at the Stonewall site in Elkton, Virginia. The Stonewall site is the only domestic Merck Manufacturing Division facility accommodating five major manufacturing technologies: fermentation, organic synthesis, sterile, pharmaceutical, and vaccine.
Intermech installed over 16 complex hygienic systems consisting of Endotoxin Reduced Water, Clean Steam, CIP, Glycol, Process and others used in the manufacturing process of therapeutic proteins and experimental vaccines. This recent addition to Merck's new production facility for vaccines further enhances their biotechnical capabilities and makes the Stonewall site one of the company's primary vaccine production sites.
Intermech was selected for this critical fast track project as one of Jacobs' collaborative team members to assist with constructability issues and to begin installation while the design was being finalized. The facility houses a range of pharmaceutical manufacturing (batch processing) activities such as fermentation, solvent extraction, organic chemical synthesis, and finishing operations. The facility's products include broad spectrum antibiotics, anti-parasitic drugs for human and animal health, a cholesterol lowering drug, a drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, a new drug for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the well-known vaccine GARDASIL, which is the only human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of HPV for girls and young women ages 9 to 26.
Intermech completed the main process piping distribution systems feeding Merck's Fermentation skids, Harvest skids, Chromatography skids, Buffer Prep Tanks and the Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration skids, all of which are vital to the bulk manufacturing process from recombinant proteins and antibodies that will be used as various active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Intermech, Inc. is a leading national full-service mechanical contractor specializing in the process intensive industries. Our Life Sciences division is located in North Carolina and is committed to providing innovation solutions for quality installations.