Projects

Science and Technology Case Studies

Pfizer, Inc.
Piperacillin Master Plan Production Expansion
Carolina, Puerto Rico

For a recent seven year period, Torcon was construction manager for a series of expansion and upgrade projects at Pfizer, Inc. plant in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Through this work, Pfizer, Inc. now has one of the largest lyophilization installations in the world.

Among the projects completed is a three-story, 85,000 sq. ft. Piperacillin Master Plan Project, a new manufacturing facility flanked by existing manufacturing buildings. This new building houses two formulation areas encompassing approximately 26,000 sq. ft., as well as clean room production areas from Class 100 to Class 100,000.

Additionally, as part of this project Torcon infilled a two-story courtyard area in the center of a parenteral production facility to provide space for sample storage, two new aseptic/Class 100 AHU’s and new formulation and weigh rooms. In conjunction with the new production space, Torcon completed a series of utility upgrades and relocations, including a central utility plant with two 100-ton process glycol chillers, a 5,000 lb. per hour clean steam generator, a 2,000 kva substation and the replacement of two 2,000 gpm fire pumps and pump house. 

Additionally, a tank farm was added to feed the entire Carolina site.  The new plant consists of a 400,000 gallon process water tank, a 20,000 gallon potable water tank and a 4,100 gallon below-ground cistern and pump house to distribute, chlorinate and monitor all water systems at the site.

Torcon’s initial work at the site was the Piperacillin Phase II project, which required the expansion of a manufacturing facility that produces penicillin-type products. This work added a 5,000 sq. ft., two-story building housing a Class 100 filling suite, vial washing and an expansion of a GMP material center. Torcon also completed a two phase expansion to an existing Class 100 production area, which added four 450 sq. ft. Lyophilizers.