S5. E13. 疫情下緊密合作，持續供應全球藥物需求 JOINING FORCES TO TACKLE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2020年初，百靈佳殷格翰全球生產基地接受了嚴峻的考驗。在 COVID-19 第一波疫情流行期間，這些基地藉由密切合作，確保患者能持續獲得所需的重要藥物。

2020 年 3 月上旬，義大利福爾諾沃市（Fornovo）大部分的公開場所活動陷入停擺，福爾諾沃市所在的倫巴底大區（Lombardy）受 COVID-19 打擊尤其嚴重。在第一波疫情流行期間，因 COVID-19 喪命的 34,000 名義大利人，有接近一半來自於倫巴底大區。地方當局頒布禁令，限制居民的日常活動，實施宵禁，並禁止與他人會面。

然而，在福爾諾沃市的百靈佳殷格翰 Bidachem 廠房，卻出現一陣忙碌的行動。醫藥生產必須繼續運作， Bidachem廠房產生用於心血管和糖尿病藥物的活性成分，這些藥物必須如期為世界各地的患者準備就緒。

醫生迫切的需要藥物，用以治療感染COVID-19常見的嚴重併發症。除此之外，世界各地都在儲存大量藥物，福爾諾沃廠必須以最高速進行生產。這一切都發生在戲劇性的短短數週內。有段時期，工廠的 200 名員工中，有30%必須接受隔離；大家同時必須面對新的輪班制度，加上夜班和週末班，並保持嚴格的社交距離。人與人之間必須保持 2 公尺以上的距離。廠區負責人 Maurizio Sartorato 博士回憶那段時期：「那是非常辛苦的幾週。」儘管面臨種種困難，卻完全沒有出現生產延誤或停工。 Sartorato 堅信：「因為互相支持，才能真的把不可能變為可能。」

德國殷格翰和義大利福爾諾沃的生產基地，與位於上海的實驗室長期保持密切聯繫。COVID-19 疫情令他們更緊密的連結。每天，三個基地的同仁們會開視訊會議； Sartorato 說：「我們常常與中國以及德國的同事一起討論；例如，在德國殷格翰的同仁，幫助我們進行分析模式的品質控管過程」 負責德國殷格翰化學品生產的 Bernhard Rausch 博士，也對第一波 COVID-19 疫情有非常深刻的回憶，當時飛機停飛，許多地方的物流鏈崩潰，他回憶：「我們在 2020 年 4 月上旬建構了貨運運輸網，為了確保各種藥物都能如期、接續生產，並通過布里納山口（Brenner Pass），將重要物資送往義大利。」

與此同時，供應鏈管理、採購和物流部門的同事，試著重新分配商品配送路線，將供應商的產品配送至德國殷格翰（原本應配送至義大利）。同時，百靈佳殷格翰上海化學中心負責確保國際供應鏈的完整性，亦確認基礎化學藥劑皆能如期交付。Rausch 說：「謝謝我們在中國的同事，讓我們的供應過程沒有出現意外。」

中國首先受到疫情影響，然後是義大利和德國；藉由密切合作，這三個廠區實踐了無縫生產，並且互相學習、支援。上海化學中心主任Jinsong Yang博士，在二月初時安排團隊進行一週的在家工作，再回到工作現場時，進行嚴格的安全防護措施。楊主任說：「我們採用一種新的輪班制度，減少一起工作的人數，讓彼此之間能相隔更遠的距離。」隨後，德國殷格翰和義大利福爾諾沃的歐洲部門，隨後也採用了同樣的輪班模式。

雖然中國在 2020 年 1 月時出現愈來愈多的 COVID-19 確診案例，歐洲的疫情依然處於可控制的範圍。中國幾乎沒有任何防護設備可用，德國殷格翰和義大利福爾諾沃的同仁，便將口罩運送至中國。福爾諾沃的經理 Sartorato 未雨綢繆，預見可能會面臨的困境，在年初便已經訂購了數千個口罩—當口罩在義大利斷貨時，手上還有足夠的備品能使用。他說：上海工廠已經展現了危機處理方法，義大利和德國的同仁們也在關注中國同仁們的衛生防護措施。Sartorato 說：「我們從中國同事的身上，學到如何確保廠區的安全。」

中國、德國和義大利的每一位同仁，徹底改變了他們的日常生活模式。Sartorato強調：「過度保持距離的策略，可能在初期造成一些困擾，但事實證明這樣的做法是成功的，讓我們能不間斷地進行生產。」他們成功讓工作持續運作，並且沒有人因為工作被傳染COVID-19。務實、團隊合作以及樂於助人，讓三廠同仁緊密團結在一起。 Rausch總結道：「這是我們妥善處理危機，並能保障患者穩定獲得藥物的重要原因。」

JOINING FORCES TO TACKLE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The production sites of Boehringer Ingelheim worldwide were put to difficult tests at the beginning of 2020. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sites ensured that patients continued to receive vital medicines. They only achieved this because of their particularly close collaboration.

In Fornovo, Italy, most of public life came to a standstill in early March 2020. The Lombardy, where Fornovo is also located, had been hit especially hard by COVID-19. Nearly half of the 34,000 Italian who died from COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic came from that region. Local authorities put restrictions on daily life. Curfews and bans on meeting with others were implemented.

In the Bidachem factory buildings of Boehringer Ingelheim in Fornovo, however, there was a flurry of activity. After all, production operations had to go on. Among other medications, Bidachem manufactures active ingredients for cardiovascular and diabetes medicines that had to be ready on time for patients all over the world.

Doctors urgently required medicines to somehow treat the serious accompanying illnesses that often occur with a COVID-19 infection. Moreover, large quantities of medicines were being stockpiled worldwide. In short, the Fornovo plant had to produce at top speed. And all this during such dramatic weeks. At times, 30 percent of the plant’s more than 200 employees had to go into quarantine. They also had to cope with a new shift system, with night and weekend shifts, and with strict social distancing rules. No one was allowed to get closer than two meters. “Those were difficult weeks,” site manager Dr. Maurizio Sartorato recalls. Despite all adversities, there were no production delays or stoppages. Sartorato is convinced that “that was only possible because our sites supported each other.”

The Ingelheim and Fornovo production sites and the laboratory site in Shanghai have long been in close contact with one another. The COVID-19 pandemic brought them even closer together. “We regularly talked things over with our colleagues in China and Germany,” says Sartorato. Every day, employees of the three sites met in video conferences for the planning. “For instance, our colleagues in Ingelheim assisted us with the quality control process for our analysis patterns,” he remarks. “All we had to do was call Ingelheim, and we knew our colleagues would support us.”

Dr. Bernhard Rausch, who is responsible for chemical production in Ingelheim, likewise has vivid memories of the first COVID-19 wave, when aircraft were grounded and logistics chains collapsed in many places. “In early April 2020, we organized truck shipments. We were thus able to ensure seamless production of various medicines and to get important substances over the Brenner Pass to Italy,” Rausch recalls.

At the same time, colleagues in the supply chain management, purchasing, and logistics departments sought to reroute suppliers’ products to Ingelheim instead of Italy. Meanwhile, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Center of Chemistry in Shanghai safeguarded the integrity of international supply chains and the delivery of basic chemicals. “Thanks to our colleagues in China, there were no bad surprises in terms of the supply process,” says Rausch.

By working together, the three sites achieved more than just seamless production: Since China was affected first, then Italy, and Germany a bit later, they were able to learn from and help each other. Dr. Jinsong Yang, Head of the Center of Chemistry in Shanghai, sent his team to work from home for a week in early February before bringing them back to their workplaces subject to stringent safety measures. “We introduced a new shift system to reduce the number of people working together and to make it easier for them to keep out of each other’s way,” says Yang. Their European counterparts in Ingelheim and Fornovo subsequently adopted Shanghai’s system.

While China was struggling with a growing number of COVID-19 cases in January 2020, the situation was still manageable in Europe. Ingelheim and Fornovo sent face masks to China, where hardly any protective equipment was available. Fornovo's manager Sartorato already suspected what he might be faced with so he ordered several thousand masks at the start of the year – and had enough on hand once they were unobtainable in Italy. This foresight may ultimately have saved lives: “We were able to protect our employees at all times,” he says. The Shanghai site had already demonstrated how to cope with the crisis: Employees in Italy and Germany oriented themselves to the hygiene measures of their Chinese colleagues. “We learned from our colleagues how to ensure optimal safety at our plants,” says Rausch.

Everyone in China, Germany, and Italy was forced to drastically change their routines. “The decision to be overprotective might have created some difficulties in the initial phase, but it proved successful, allowing us to continue producing without interruption,” Sartorato notes. But they managed to do so together, and no one was infected at work. Pragmatism, team spirit, and readiness to help: Employees at the three sites stuck close together. “That is an important reason why we handled the situation so well and were able to safeguard the supply of vital medicines for our patients,” concludes Rausch.