Sources and upstream processing

Current thinking focuses on the production process. What goes on inside the piant, and what is under the direct controi of the business. It tends to ignore what happens, both upstream and downstream where and how the raw materials are sourced, and how the products are actually used. What is needed in the chemical industry is a shift to life-cycle thinking. 

This chapter aims to overview the manufacturing process of therapeutic proteins. It concerns itself with two major themes (1) sources of biopharmaceuticals and (2) upstream processing. The additional elements of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, i.e. downstream processing and product analysis, are discussed in Chapters 6 and 7 respectively. 

Downstream processing serves to (a) recover the therapeutic protein from its producer cell source upon completion of the upstream processing phase, (b) purify the protein and (c) formulate the protein into final product format. 

Fish meat debris by-produced on fish processing lines, unutilized fish meat, and upstream salmon meat are important sources of proteins, but have... 

The data quality and consistency has a significant influence on the LCA results. Depending on the goal and the required precision for decision support, the requirements are to be formulated on the quality of data (e.g. on its precision, completeness, and representativeness). In this context, the sources of the data (of the LCA to be carried out) have to be named and the used data base with reference to the upstream processes (e.g. electricity production and productiOTi of basic materials etc.) should be documented. Any assumptions made, e.g. any estimations, should also be mentioned. 

To be effective at market sensing, companies have to build strong horizontal processes to connect downstream and upstream data. Traditionally, supply chain processes have evolved from vertical processes. These functional silos—source, make, and deliver—gave birth to supply chain management. However, this silo approach, and a focus on vertical excellence, is both a barrier and an enabler to maximize value and build strong networks. It is a conundrum. Companies need to build strong vertical silos to deliver operational excellence but at some point in their maturity, they must "break the glass" and shift their focus to build horizontal excellence. 

---