Bayer opens a new chapter in pharmaceutical production with Solida-1

How can you produce 1.2 billion tablets a year faster, more sustainably, and more efficiently than ever before? Bayer provides the answer with its new Solida-1 facility. The “learning factory” sets new standards in automation, AI use, and modularity. But that’s not the only reason why the plant is considered a model for the future of pharmaceutical production.

• Solida-1 enables flexible and fast production thanks to its modular architecture and automation.
• AI and data analytics optimize processes and accelerate the market launch of new drugs.
• A geothermal energy system reduces CO2 emissions by 70% and makes production more sustainable.

When it comes to superlatives in pharmaceutical production, the pharmaceutical giant Bayer is always good for headlines. Its latest coup: what it claims to be “the most modern tablet factory in the world.” At least one of the newest – because Solida-1 is currently being commissioned and validated at Chempark Leverkusen. Although the plant has already been completed, it will probably take until 2026 before the operating license is granted. Until then, the plant, which has been in planning since 2018 and under construction since 2021, will undergo extensive testing and validation. The timeframe may seem long, but Bayer is confident that the approximately €300 million investment will pay off. That’s because Solida-1 sets new standards in terms of productivity: it takes just 30 hours to go from powdered raw material to coated tablet – a record-breaking achievement! What’s more, the plant is expected to produce up to 1.2 billion tablets annually in the future.

• author: Armin Scheuermann, freier Fachjournalist
• originally published at pharma-food.de, February 2025: Bayer schlägt mit Solida-1 neues Kapitel in der Pharmaproduktion auf