Bayer AG
Location: Leverkusen, Germany
Project: SOLIDA-1
The SOLIDA-1 facility is a next-generation pharmaceutical manufacturing plant that redefines industry standards in modularity, adaptability, digitalization, and automation. Located in Leverkusen, Germany, SOLIDA-1 is a strategic cornerstone in Bayer’s mission: “Health for all, hunger for none.” By combining cutting-edge technology with an unprecedented level of end-to-end automation, the facility is designed to bring innovative, complex medicines to patients faster than ever before, ensuring that critical therapies reach those who need them most.
This project was recognized as a category Winner for Operations – Operational Excellence due to the following reasons:
- Accelerating Access to Life-Changing Medicines: By combining flexible production capacity, rapid technology transfer, and data-driven process analytics, SOLIDA-1 establishes a new benchmark for speed, reliability, and scalability in pharmaceutical launches, reducing time-to-market by 6–12 months.
- Unprecedented Modularity and Adaptability: SOLIDA-1’s multi-level modular design—spanning building, process, and technologies—creates a facility that can expand or reconfigure with unmatched speed and cost-efficiency, has the capability to seamlessly add new technologies, scale capacity from small batch sizes at launch to commercial volumes, and support the requirements of a wide range of products, e.g., by rapidly switching from low- to high- potent products.
- Innovative Ballroom Concept: For the first time in solid-dose manufacturing, the ballroom concept enables free movement of robots, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and material flows. It creates a foundation for seamless automation and a more flexible environment for adapting new technologies.
- End-to-End Autonomous Operations. The automated modular formulation (AMF) line, together with custom-developed robotics solutions, AGVs, and the proprietary production flow control software, automates all process and logistical activities, increasing overall equipment effectiveness by more than 20 percent and reducing workforce requirements by 50 percent.
- Digitalization Driving Intelligence and Transparency: An advanced digital backbone connects every level of production, from enterprise resource planning systems to the shop floor, into one seamless ecosystem, providing complete transparency and data integrity in near real-time.
- Sustainability by Design: Engineered for low-temperature, energy-efficient operations, Solida 1 is enabling the large-scale use of renewable energies, especially geothermal energy. Its bidirectional heat-pump system, powered entirely by green electricity, reduces annual CO₂ emissions by over 90 percent.
The project had four clear objectives which were accomplished:
- The commitment to getting everyone home safely every day
- A yearly emissions reduction of more than 90%—achieved with no increase in total cost compared to a traditional fossil-based system
- Significant operational efficiency improvements by -50 percent reduction in required operating personnel and +20 percent increase in overall equipment effectiveness
- Completion within budget and on schedule
Based on these innovative ways of working and successful project implementation in a safe and sustainable manner, Bayer AG is recognized as the 2026 ISPE FOYA Category Winner for Operations – Operational Excellence.
Supply Partners and Key Participants
Manufacturer/Owner: Bayer AG
Engineer/Architect:
- Pharmaplan (now part of Exyte)
- Glatt GmbH
Commissioning, Qualifications, and Validation Services: Bayer AG
Construction Manager: Mainka Bau GmbH & Co. KG
Piping Subcontractor: PORR Industriebau GmbH
HVAC Subcontractor: PORR Industriebau GmbH
Automation and Control Supplier: Glatt GmbH
Major Equipment Supplier or Contractor: Glatt GmbH
Additional Supplier: Siemens AG