Meet Carmen Heinz, Process Expert in Manufacturing, Science and Technology
Dedication and expertise are key qualities necessary to provide flexible solutions to our customers, and we are lucky to have an expert group supporting our #ContractManufacturing efforts. Our colleagues have been sharing their insights into pharmaceutical manufacturing and how they make the most of Acino’s state-of-the-art facilities to contribute to our customers’ #outsourcing strategy.
Visit our Liesberg site virtually.
Meet Carmen Heinz, Process Expert in Manufacturing Science and Technology
Q: What’s your role at Acino?
I’m Process Expert MS&T (Manufacturing Science and Technology) at Acino’s bulk manufacturing plant in Liesberg, Switzerland. Our team of six is mainly responsible for the manufacturing process optimization of existing products, introduction of new products and the execution and documentation of process validations.
Besides the hands-on activities, we also provide support to Acino’s Regulatory Affairs department in technical and galenical questions.
We also support our customers with any questions they may have. Our team, Quality Assurance, and Marco Spitz, Senior Technical Advisor, are the point of contact for all questions concerning formulation and manufacturing of in-house products.
Q: How do you ensure that these processes run smoothly?
Consistent work, good communication skills, a wide-ranging professional experience, and a proactive approach are key for things to run smoothly.
Q: What are the challenges you face in your daily work and how do you handle them?
Unforeseen issues during the life cycle of a product and very tight timelines are often challenging. It’s hard if you must solve complex issues under time pressure.
Also, delays in earlier steps of the product transfer remains a challenge. For example, delays in the delivery time of API or excipients force us to realign the timelines while considering the existing planning for the other products. To deal with this pressure or any other unexpected events and to meet the deadlines, I try to stay composed and I continue “running” without being thrown off track.
Q: What do you love the most about your job?
I love that my job is very diverse and exciting, especially that I have the opportunity to learn something new every day. I also like to interact with various departments and having such widespread tasks throughout Acino.
Moreover, I like the “personality” of each of the products that are manufactured in our facilities. I love to check the formulation and manufacturing process of every new product and to speculate which challenges the developer may have faced during the formulation development.
Q: What makes you proud of Acino?
It makes me proud that Acino employees have the experience to handle a lot of products with special and difficult-to-make galenical formulations, for example all kinds of pellets, MUPS, and matrix tables.
I also like that Acino has a lot of long-term employees. I moved 10 years ago to Switzerland to join Acino and it makes me excited to see that the company continues to develop and that I have the possibility to grow in it.
Q: What do you like the most about your contribution to Acino’s B2B activities?
What I like most is that we can support our customers with our experience and commitment to bring high-quality and safe products for patients in emerging markets all over the world.
Although we had to stop site tours for a while to help with social distancing and maintain the safety of our colleagues who must keep production running during the Covid-19 crisis, you can still visit our Liesberg site virtually.