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Project Economics
Material cost
The costs of the raw materials to produce IV solutions are a minimal expense using IVPC technology. Expenses for the four categories of materials above are not projected to exceed $0.18 per unit.
Potable water and supplemental material
(procured locally from an acceptable source) |
$0.025 |
Pharmaceutical grade chemicals/admixtures (The major expense is the purchase of anhydrous dextrose and sodium chloride. All other salts are less than 10% of the total purchases)
|
$0.020 |
Medical grade plastic resins
(Includes a 20% scrap factor) |
$0.060 |
Package finish
(The major expense is the shipping carton, but also includes labels and miscellaneous packing materials) |
$0.075 |
In terms of direct costs, IV solutions are not an expensive product to manufacture. IV solutions produced with the IVPC Facility™ are an ideal indigenous local industry for developing nations.
Utility Requirements
Water
Approximately 10,000 metric tons of water is required annually to produce 6 million IV units. This includes water for production, as well as for wash and rinse of equipment, and the 5.000 metric tons required for steam production.
Electricity
The electric power requirements for overall operations at full annual plant capacity is approximately 400,000 kWh. The blow-fill-seal machine is the major consumer of electric power. In regions where electricity supply is questionable or unreliable. diesel or gas generators are installed as part of the facility for continuous and uninterrupted operation of the production equipment. As part of the initial site investigation, EWMA will prepare a site survey report and analysis of power resources to determine the need and cost of alternate power source supply.
Telecommunications
A reliable telephone system for regional communication is necessary for marketing, sales and procurement. International access is preferred since it provides a direct link to EWMA support systems, including data computer systems support, but it is not a strict requirement.
Environmental Considerations
The production of IV solutions is an "ultra-clean" industry and poses no environmental threat whatsoever. The production and disposal of waste involves both liquid and solid wastes, none of which rises to the level of"industrial" waste.
Solid Waste
Solid waste from the IVPC Facility™ is minimal, comprising mostly scrap from material packing cartons and accumulated amounts of raw materials from the production process. These wastes are mostly bio-degradable and may be recycled, land-filled or incinerated.
Liquid Waste
Waste water generated from the facility is less concentrated and dangerous than standard sanitary waste. The low concentrations of sugars and salts in the IV solutions results in low concentrations of these chemicals in the waste water. Sugars and salts are also biological products, and in such low concentrations, are less detrimental to the environment than municipal sanitary waste.
Air Quality
There is negligible impact on air quality from the exhaust fumes generated by diesel combustion or gas-fired generators. This factor involves only emergency generators where local electricity supply is reliable.
Personnel Requirements
Since one of the most expensive budgetary items for any business is personnel the extreme efficiency of the IVPC Facility™ design provides for significant cost savings in this area. The personnel required to directly operate the facility at full capacity are very few: two shifts of 8 key personnel along with 2 quality control technicians and 12 support personnel per 12 million annual units produced.
With the exception of the 2 required pharmacists, all staff positions are entry level. Some require experience and training in certain disciplines such as electrical or mechanical engineering, machine operation, etc., but not specific experience in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. This means that qualified personnel can be employed out of the local talent pool at competitive salaries and without extensive and expensive recruiting from outside markets.
All key personnel is thoroughly trained by EWMA and Weiler Engineering, Inc. on the use, maintenance and operation of the production equipment. Training occurs in the training facility near Chicago, Illinois in the U.S. and at the production site.
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