The Dutch consultancy firm Adryan specializes in the qualification and validation of pharmaceutical production facilities. For the past five years, it has had a branch at BioArk in Visp. The site manager, Robert Ziegler, explains the reasons for this location and at the same time describes how he perceives the development of the region and his company.

In recent years, the Visp region has become a magnet for highly qualified workers and international companies. Thanks to the massive development of companies such as Lonza, Upper Valais is attracting more and more service providers from the pharmaceutical sector, including Adryan. Today, 15 of Adryan’s 40 or so employees in Switzerland work in Visp. “Lonza was the reason for our presence in Switzerland,” explains the site manager. Proximity to the customer allows to react quickly and flexibly to project needs while actively contributing to the development of the site.

Skills in a specialized niche

Adryan supports its customers throughout the life cycle of pharmaceutical installations. While the planning and design of facilities are generally handled by specialized design offices, implementation, qualification and follow-up until regulatory authorization are part of Adryan’s core business. “Our job is to make sure that a facility not only works perfectly from a technical point of view, but also meets all regulatory requirements,” emphasizes Robert Ziegler.

The company combines technical know-how with expertise in national and international regulations. You could compare it to car manufacturing. “Creative minds design a new car with perfect aerodynamics. Then along comes the compliance team, who say it’s great ecologically, but according to the regulations, a car must be equipped with pedestrian protection devices, crumple zones and other safety features in order to be approved.”

For the qualification and validation of new installations, Adryan’s team, made up mainly of engineers from all over Europe, works daily on site with the clients and the responsible design offices. “Test plans are drawn up to test the various parameters. And at the end, complete documentation is available. This is absolutely essential”. The final objective is the authorization of the installation concerned by the competent control body, for example Swissmedic.

The human being at the center of concerns

The name of the company Adryan is inspired by the first name of one of the founders and was deliberately chosen to emphasize the human-centered approach of the company. “Our focus is on our employees and personal contact with our customers,” explains Robert Ziegler.

The modern premises of BioArk in Visp are perfectly suited to this approach: short distances to customers such as Lonza or ten23 health, as well as an open and collaborative working environment. ”The shared office concept perfectly reflects our open corporate culture.”

The company sees great potential for development in Valais. Robert Ziegler, a German national, has been working at Adryan for almost two years. He talks about Valais as a “place to be”. If you look at the site on Google Maps, you realize how huge the industrial zone around Visp is, despite the limited space. In his opinion, the region faces significant challenges due to rapid developments. Mr. Ziegler cites keywords such as infrastructure, mobility, housing construction and social issues. “On the spot, finding even a hotel room for one night is a challenge.” However, he is convinced that the development of Visp and its surroundings represents a great opportunity for the region. “Visp is a site of the future, whether for companies, talent or innovative developments.”

Looking to the future: digitization and artificial intelligence

When asked what he sees for Adryan in the years to come, Robert Ziegler replies with a laugh: “I could look into the crystal ball for days and come up with new ideas all the time. “ He adds that companies in Switzerland are currently investing more again. “The market is growing and we are ready to shape it. So for the moment, the crystal ball is at least looking rosy for us.”

Adryan’s goal is for employees to be perceived as specialists in their field, including by regulators. According to Mr. Ziegler, the use of artificial intelligence in production is currently the subject of much discussion. “In this area, there are exciting topics on which we want to acquire in-depth know-how in the future and help our customers.”

➡️ Get to know the BioArk Visp based company : www.adryan.com