map marker United Kingdom | 23 June 2025
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In the pharmaceutical industry, the type of processing can significantly impact production efficiency, cost and sustainability. While traditional batch processing has been the standard for many years, it comes with limitations such as high energy consumption, large utility demands and variability in product quality. Continuous processing offers a modern alternative that addresses many of these challenges.  
 
We recently worked with a UK-based pharmaceutical company to implement this, replacing their old batch process. In this article, we discuss what continuous processing is and the benefits it can provide for pharmaceutical companies based on our experience with this project, covering process intensification, manufacturing line agility and energy use reduction, among other things. 

Batch vs continuous processing

What is batch production?

Traditional batch processing in pharmaceutical manufacturing involves producing a particular quantity of medication or substances according to a single production order during the same manufacturing cycle. This method is limited by batch size, reaction time and initial capital costs. Increasing facility capacity requires larger batches, leading to bigger tanks, longer reaction times and higher utility demands, all of which raise costs. 
 
Some drugs are commercially unviable with batch processing due to high expenses and energy demands. Batch production also consumes large amounts of electricity and water, and involves storing hazardous substances. Additionally, product yield and potency can vary, with significant waste if batches don't meet regulatory standards. 

 

What is a continuous production?

Manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients using a continuous approach avoids many of the disadvantages faced with batch production and comes with a host of other benefits. Instead of going through initial stages of the process in large batches, material passes continuously through much smaller equipment. As a ballpark figure, continuous processing increases production output by around 20% while cutting energy use by 20%, depending on the product. 

Five benefits of continuous processing

1. It reduces energy use and carbon

Having equipment that’s more than ten times smaller means that you only need one room for a process that used to require an entire facility. It also reduces both capital outlay and running costs, while increasing sustainability due to the reduction in heating and cooling. This was the case for our client, who benefited from the small design of the continuous process, allowing significantly less energy to be used and operational costs to be reduced.

2. It creates an agile manufacturing line

One of the key challenges of designing a manufacturing line is the risk of processes becoming outdated as pharmaceutical requirements evolve. Another benefit of continuous manufacturing is its modularity, which supports adaptable and resilient manufacturing lines. 
 
The plant required for continuous processing is not just small, it can also be modular – making it a lot more agile than traditional batch processing. For our client, this solution meant that if they wished to manufacture a new product, the plant could be reconfigured in just weeks, rather than several months or years. Comparatively, a traditional batch process has a larger plant, making it more challenging and potentially unviable to reconfigure to manufacture different products.  

 

3. It provides greater flexibility for the site’s location

Modularity also makes it easier to produce more products from a single facility using a plug-and-play approach with different modules. This means reconfiguring your plant can be as simple as plugging in different connections to each module. And that facility could even be the size of a warehouse – you don’t need a huge manufacturing site to house this process. This means that the plant can be nearer to a customer or a transport hub.

 

Our client initially thought the best solution was to demolish a redundant facility and build a new batch plant. This would take about two years to build and another year to qualify, resulting in a production gap of three years. With our help, they uncovered a different option, where part of the existing facility could be converted into a highly efficient continuous API manufacturing facility, with significantly less downtime.

4. It improves production quality

A flexible, modular approach supports the pharma industry’s trend towards more complex, higher value drugs with a shorter production life. The higher level of automation and monitoring incorporated into these facilities fits well with the Industry 4.0 approach and a more data-rich method of manufacturing that increases efficiency and productivity.

5. It supports process intensification

Continuous processing can use more direct and higher-yield reaction pathways to produce the same drug. This is because smaller-scale reactors have a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and reduce transport distances so more energy can be put into the reaction, making previously unviable drugs feasible on a commercial scale.

 

Transforming medicine production

At WSP, we are passionate about helping our clients leverage the benefits of advanced solutions like continuous manufacturing to solve complex problems. Our bespoke approach focuses on adding value at all stages of a project, from masterplanning, concept and feasibility studies, all the way through to project engineering and delivery. We also offer significant expertise in process consulting, drawing on knowledge and learnings from teams across the UK and globally to help our clients find solutions to today’s challenges.  
 
Interested in learning more about our services for the pharmaceuticals and life sciences sector? Get in touch with one of our experts today.