From dosing an active ingredient to transferring powders under containment, bulk handling has a direct bearing on product integrity, operator protection and process reliability. Based in Visp, Burgener AG develops and manufactures customised equipment for these critical production steps.

Powders and granular materials can be difficult to move through a production environment. Flow properties vary. Dosing must remain accurate. Cleaning and changeovers need to be anticipated. With active pharmaceutical ingredients, containment adds another layer of complexity.

These requirements affect equipment design from the start. The selected solution may need to combine controlled transfer, accurate dosing, clean filling, sealed packaging and integration with the plant’s automation system.

This is the field in which Burgener AG operates. The Visp-based engineering company develops machinery and complete systems for the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries, with a focus on bulk solids and packaging processes.

From a local workshop to specialised process engineering

Burgener’s history in Visp began in 1966, when Jean Burgener founded a workshop for the manufacture, sale and repair of machinery. The company entered packaging machinery in 1970 and obtained its first ISO 9001 certification in 1996.

Today, its team of around 20 employees combines mechanical engineering, automation, process design, manufacturing, commissioning and qualification. The company remains based in Visp, where it moved into a larger office and workshop building in the Wehreye industrial area in 2009.

This development reflects a broader industrial trajectory: practical machinery expertise gradually expanded into the design of equipment for regulated and technically demanding production environments.

From individual equipment to complete production systems

Burgener’s work covers four central powder-handling operations:

• dosing
• filling
• closing
• conveying

The company develops individual equipment, modular assemblies and complete systems. Its dosing technologies are designed for quantities ranging from one gram to one tonne, depending on the product and configuration. Systems can be adapted to different densities and flow characteristics.

A project may therefore involve a single dosing unit or a complete line combining material discharge, transfer, weighing, filling, sealing and conveying. The configuration is developed around the process, packaging format, available space and applicable production requirements.

This customised approach is particularly relevant when standard machinery cannot accommodate an existing installation, a specific containment strategy or an unusual material behaviour.

Containment for API and HPAPI handling

Handling active and highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients requires close control of exposure and contamination risks. Burgener documents several equipment configurations developed for these applications.

One example is a dispensing system for APIs and HPAPIs delivered in transfer bags. The product is dosed into new bags inside a flexible isolator, where weighing and sealing also take place. Bag-in and bag-out ports allow materials to enter and leave the isolator under contained conditions, while the equipment can be configured for cleaning in place. Burgener specifies a containment rating of up to OEB 5 for this installation.

Its FIBC discharge systems can be configured with continuous liners, negative-pressure isolators or specific packaging materials. Depending on the selected design, the documented containment ratings range from OEB 4 to OEB 6. WIP and CIP-compatible versions are also available.

These ratings apply to defined equipment configurations. The appropriate containment concept still depends on the product, occupational exposure limit, process and production environment.

Engineering, automation and qualification in one workflow

For regulated manufacturing, the machinery is only one part of the project. Its controls, documentation, testing and qualification strategy also need to align with the intended process.

Burgener’s engineering capabilities include:

• mechanical and process design
• electrical and pneumatic engineering
• PLC and HMI programming
• automation concepts
• GxP-oriented programming based on GAMP 5
• user management, audit trails, archiving and reporting for 21 CFR Part 11 applications

The company manufactures and assembles equipment in-house before carrying out functional testing and factory acceptance testing. Installation, site acceptance testing and operator training follow at the customer’s facility.

For equipment offered in a GxP-compliant configuration, Burgener can provide documentation for the DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ qualification phases. Its quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. In 2025, the company also obtained ISO 3834-2 certification for the quality requirements associated with fusion welding of metallic materials.

A new approach to containment docking

In 2025, Burgener introduced cobu, a containment docking system for bags, continuous liners and FIBCs. It combines a machine module with dedicated single-use components to create a reproducible connection between a container and the production equipment.

According to Burgener, the system is designed for closed powder transfers with occupational exposure levels below 1 µg/m³. Its modular configuration covers filling and discharge applications, with a common docking ring connecting the packaging to the equipment.

The development addresses a practical production issue: changing powder containers while limiting manual operations, dust release and variation between operators. It also illustrates how local engineering expertise can respond to evolving containment requirements in pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing.

An enabling capability within the Valais Life Sciences ecosystem

Life Sciences manufacturing depends on more than production plants and scientific platforms. It also requires companies able to design, manufacture, automate and qualify the equipment used inside those facilities.

Burgener contributes this layer of expertise from Visp. Its work connects mechanical design, containment, automation and production requirements around a specific operational challenge: moving powders through an industrial process safely and consistently.

This type of competence strengthens the regional manufacturing base. It shows that the Valais Life Sciences ecosystem includes specialised equipment builders and engineers alongside pharmaceutical producers, chemical manufacturers, service providers and research organisations.

Burgener AG at a glance

• Location: Visp, Valais
• Established: 1966
• Team: approximately 20 employees
• Core activities: customised machinery and systems for bulk solids handling
• Main operations: dosing, filling, closing and conveying
• Industries: pharmaceutical, chemical and food
• Services: consulting, engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, qualification and lifecycle support
• Quality management: ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 3834-2:2021
• Website: www.burgener-ag.ch