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Bilfinger the prime-choice international service partner for Siegfried AG

  • Successful partnership in Switzerland setting standards for further outsourcing projects in Europe
  • Bilfinger accompanying the Swiss pharmaceutical producer on its internationalization strategy
  • Contract value to be increased by around € 100 million / further sites planned

 

“We are very pleased about the expansion of our partnership with Siegfried AG. Bilfinger has helped the company at its Swiss headquarters to improve plant availability while at the same time reducing maintenance costs and thus enhancing efficiency. For this reason, Siegfried is continuing to rely on Bilfinger as a service partner in the implementation of its growth strategy. This trust is an incentive for us to live up to our customer’s expectations in every respect,” says Tom Blades, CEO of Bilfinger SE.

The expansion of the partnership will include sites in Germany, France and Switzerland. In January of this year, the existing maintenance contract for the production plants in Minden in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia was extended to include the organization of engineering and technical activities. This was joined on May 1 by maintenance, engineering and supply system operation as well as material and supplier management at the French plant in Saint-Vulbas. On September 1, the same activities were assigned to Bilfinger at the Siegfried’s Swiss plant in Evionnaz. The processes and structures at these three plants, which Siegfried AG acquired in 2015, are being optimized on a sustained basis.

The new contracts are valued at around € 100 million. The total number of employees assigned to Siegfried has risen to more than 200. Talks are currently ongoing for the provision of services at other locations as well. The main factor in the decision to enter into new service contracts is the successful partnership between Bilfinger and Siegfried at the latter’s core plant in Zofingen, where Bilfinger Industrial Services Schweiz AG has been handling maintenance and engineering activities for the production facilities since 2010. Under the maintenance partnership, annual costs have been reduced by more than 30 percent in tandem with increased plant availability and efficiency.

Both companies expect to see similar effects in Evionnaz, Saint-Vulbas and Minden as well. As the underlying technical conditions as well as the “Good Manufacturing Production” (GMP) quality assurance guidelines applicable to pharmaceutical production are largely the same, the best practises adopted in Zofinger can also be applied very well to the other three sites.
 
Comprehensive service package for greater productivity
The core element of the restructured maintenance process is the 24/7/365 service concept developed for Siegfried AG on the basis of the Bilfinger Maintenance Concept (BMC). BMC is a business-oriented approach that views maintenance as an integral part of the value chain. 16 modules cover the main aspects of maintenance and allow long-term efficiency gains to be achieved.

In Siegfried’s case, the use of the risk management module, for example, has reduced the number of service calls - from regular night shifts to emergency services. These activities are performed by Bilfinger service staff who are permanently on site at Siegfried and handle all work on the plant equipment directly and without the involvement of external third parties. One key determinant of success is the integration of experts who have been transferred from the customer to Bilfinger under the outsourcing contract and hold specific knowledge of the equipment in question. In this way, significant synergistic effects can be achieved for the customer’s benefit.

All service jobs are generated, managed and invoiced via a central electronic reporting system. The e-business system developed by Bilfinger on the basis of the SAP PM module provides comprehensive access to all relevant data and ensures optimum cost control. In addition, Bilfinger handles the calibration of the measurement points for the documentation of production processes and plant parameters stipulated by the GMP standards. The special “Calibration Manager” database replaces the error-prone and opaque Excel lists.
 
“When it comes to maintenance, it is crucial to have an expert on site who is able to respond promptly and, hence, more quickly than any external third-party service provider,” explains Peter A. Gehler, head of the Siegfried pharmaceutical park. “Bilfinger has successfully shown that this does not necessarily have to be one of our own employees. With their efficiency and knowledge, the experts ensure smooth processes in Zofingen day for day. We are convinced that we will also be able to achieve major gains in cost efficiency and productivity at our three sites in Evionnaz, Saint-Vulbas and Minden.”
 
Adds Gerald Pilotto, Executive President MMO Continental Europe at Bilfinger SE: “Bilfinger is the European market leader in industrial services for the process industry. With 24,000 employees around the world in maintenance, modifications and operations, we are able to meet Siegfried AG’s requirements on a standardized cross-border basis in consistently high quality. This is a key criterion for internationally active companies, including Siegfried. Next year, the successful partnership is to be widened to include further sites.”

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