Visit to GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline

In Term 4, I attended a pharmaceutical-related sabbatical relating to the analysis and synthesis of aspirin, where I learnt more of the pharmaceutical industry. Even though money put into R&D has been increasing exponentially over the years, the number of products developed every year has remained rather constant, which shows that it has become more and more difficult to develop such products that benefit and help to cure humans.

During the tour of the plant, we saw huge machinery that could store 30 thousand litres of reactants, huge stirring mechanisms and huge vessels. It was my first time visiting a chemical plant and we learnt of various ways in which the plant is kept safe from the hazardous chemicals being used. We learnt in school that acids corrodes metals, which is the reason why the metal pipes were lined with glass on the inner surface. However, bases also corrode the glass, hence those specialised pipes could only be used to carry chemicals acidic in nature. To dry the manufactured products which came in the form of powder, the Archimedes screw was used to allow the powder to be dried evenly. To manually dry the product, heat was applied while pressure “sucked up” the water.

As for the visit to their Research laboratories and Quality labs, we saw various equipment being used such as gas chromatography machines and scanning electron microscope machines, of which we have learned in schools but never actually saw. These labs investigate old or new products and processes and design ways so as to optimise the quality and quantity of the products being produced, while the quality labs ensured the quality of the products, to guarantee the confidence of their customers.

GSK has also designed and is constructing a “Factory of the Future” located in Woodlands, where the solvents used and energy will be recycled. For example, the steam generated will be converted to thermal energy and reused over and over again. The company hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2015. To see such a large MNC actively conserving the environment, each of us should also play a part in ensuring sustainable development in the future.