Industrialization of mAb production technology: The bioprocessing industry at a crossroads
Manufacturing processes for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have evolved tremendously since the first licensed mAb product (OKT3) in 1986. The rapid growth in product demand for mAbs triggered parallel efforts to increase production capacity through construction of large bulk manufacturing plants as well as improvements in cell culture processes to raise product titers. This combination has led to an excess of manufacturing capacity, and together with improvements in conventional purification technologies, promises nearly unlimited production capacity in the foreseeable future. The increase in titers has also led to a marked reduction in production costs, which could then become a relatively small fraction of sales price for future products which are sold at prices at or near current levels. The reduction of capacity and cost pressures for current state-of-the-art bulk production processes may shift the focus of process development efforts and have important implications for both plant design and product development strategies for both biopharmaceutical and contract manufacturing companies. [1]
Product Line Design and Production Technology
In this paper we characterize the impact of production technology on the optimal product line design. We analyze a problem in which a manufacturer segments the market on quality attributes and offers products that are partial substitutes. Because consumers self-select from the product line, product cannibalization is an issue. In addition, the manufacturer sets a production schedule in order to balance production setups with accumulation of inventories in the presence of economies of scale. We show that simultaneous optimization of the product line design and production schedule leads to insights that differ significantly from the common intuition and assertions in the literature, which omits either the demand side or the supply side of the equation. In particular, we demonstrate that more expensive production technology always leads to lower product prices and may at the same time lead to higher quality products. Further, a less efficient production technology does not necessarily increase total production costs or reduce consumer welfare. We also demonstrate that in the presence of production technology, the demand cannibalization problem may distort product quality upward or the number of products upward, which is contrary to the standard result.[2]
Titanium alloy production technology, market prospects and industry development
Titanium alloy with a low density, high specific strength, corrosion resistance and good process performance, is the ideal structural materials for the aerospace engineering. Based on the microstructure of titanium alloys, it can be divided into α-type titanium alloys (heat-resistant titanium alloys), β-type titanium alloys and α + β-type titanium alloys. The research scopes also include the fabrication technology of titanium alloys, powder metallurgy, rapid solidification technology, and other military and civilian applications of titanium alloys. Titanium and its alloys have become the ideal structural materials used for the fuselage, and accounted for a significant part of the structural quality in most military aircrafts. Titanium’s future market expectations need to be considered in the macro level market. Apart from the supply and demand trends of titanium market, it is necessary to consider the impact of technological innovations that can help to reduce the cost of titanium production. [3]
Production Technology and Applications of Kojic Acid
Kojic acid is produced industrially by Aspergillus species in aerobic fermentation. The production of kojic acid is increasing because of its commercial value in industry. Kojic acid has various applications in several fields. It is widely used in cosmetic industry, medicine, food industry, agriculture and chemical industry. Nowadays, kojic acid plays a crucial role in cosmetic, especially skin care products because it can enhance the ability to prevent exposure to UV-radiation. Kojic acid continues to attract attention because of its economic potential in medical field as an anti-inflammatory drug and painkiller. In food industry, kojic acid is used in post harvest process as an anti-speck and an anti-browning agent for agricultural product. Due to various usage of this organic molecule, the demand of kojic acid has been increasing rapidly. Thus the studies to improve the kojic acid production are still extensively conducted.[4]
Yield Gap Analysis in Adoption of Production Technology of Mango by the Farmers
The study was conducted on yield gap analysis in adoption of production technology of mango by the farmers at Tumkuru district. Ten villages were selected and out of which twenty farmers were selected from each for the study, ten belong to big and small farmers category. Total 200 sample size were selected, the data were collected through personal interview, Frontline demonstration, Off-campus and On-campus training programme. Observation was recorded that 20 per cent of yield gap between demonstration plot and actual farmers plot in mango. The total yield gap between potential yield and actual yield was 50%. Majority of the big farmers (63%) and small farmers (50%) were at medium level of adoption. Majority of the big farmers (more than 80%) fully adopted the production practices like plant population per hectare and pit size, whereas more than 90 per cent of small and big farmers have not adopted production technology such as spraying with mango special as micronutrient, application of Paclobutrazol for regular bearing in Alphanso mango variety and using improved mango harvester for drudgery reduction. Significantly adopted by the big farmers in production technologies such as recommended farm yard manure application (55%), recommended quantity (730:180:680 NPK g/plant/year) of inorganic fertilizer application (58%) and powdery mildew management (46%). More than 70 per cent of small farmers have not adopted technologies such as selection of grafted seedlings (71%) and fruit fly management (70%). But significantly not adopted by the small farmers in production technology viz., selection of improved variety (62%), selection of grafted seedlings (71%), recommended quantity (730:180:680 NPK g/plant/year) of inorganic fertilizer application (72%) and powdery mildew management (63%). High cost and inadequate availability of labour, erratic supply of electricity, lack of knowledge regarding pest and disease management, unawareness about nutrient management and high cost of inputs were the major production constraints perceived by the Mango growers. A great majority of big and small farmers opined that providing crop insurance, availability and supply of improved seedlings and inputs at right time, research efforts for development of cost effective simple technologies for pest and disease management and conducting demonstration cum training programmes were necessary to overcome the constraints.[5]
Reference
[1] Kelley, B., 2009, September. Industrialization of mAb production technology: the bioprocessing industry at a crossroads. In MAbs (Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 443-452). Taylor & Francis.
[2] Netessine, S. and Taylor, T.A., 2007. Product line design and production technology. Marketing Science, 26(1), pp.101-117.
[3] Cui, C., Hu, B., Zhao, L. and Liu, S., 2011. Titanium alloy production technology, market prospects and industry development. Materials & Design, 32(3), pp.1684-1691.
[4] Chaudhary, J., Pathak, A.N. and Lakhawat, S., 2014. Production technology and applications of kojic acid. Annual Research & Review in Biology, pp.3165-3196.
[5] Desai, N., Sukanya, T.S., Mamatha, B. and Patil, R.B., 2017. Yield Gap Analysis in Adoption of Production Technology of Mango by the Farmers. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, pp.1-12.
