Q: How did Eolis’ specialized services and expertise support the pharmaceutical industry during COVID-19?

PF: As a business, Eolis has not been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company had to take on some costs to ensure the safety of our collaborators as the government did not take action. For instance, we had to multiply our transport fleet to bring people to the plants and send them back home due to their vulnerability to COVID-19. In this sense, Eolis imposed strict safety measures that went even beyond those recommended by the government.

Internally, Eolis created guidelines for our visitors and clients regarding the correct use of our infrastructure. From about 40 active projects, just two have been paused because of COVID-19 limitations. Inside the company, we had a very low percentage of contagion during the pandemic. One of our priorities continues to be to protect our collaborators and continue avoiding contagion.

Q: Biosecurity came under the spotlight with the pandemic. What is the role of biosecurity for controlled environments such as pharma?

PF: Biosecurity plays a fundamental role in the production of medicine and this is why HVAC are considered critical services. Air is in direct contact with the drugs, so air systems are fundamental for safe drug manufacturing. Biosecurity rules have always been essential for the industry but after the COVID-19 crisis, the concept became a of general interest.

The COVID-19 crisis created opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, we have been involved in many projects, especially those regarding COVID-19 vaccine production in Mexico. For our company, this created an opportunity to innovate and implement new ways of working. Overall, we have successfully implemented safer work options by complying with the different requirements of the federal and state governments from Mexico City and Puebla.

In 2020, the industry also experienced changes regarding public medicine supply. As leaders in HVAC, we have worked side by side with pharmaceutical companies on their plant expansions or renovations and always delivering regulation compliance. Moreover, COFEPRIS guidelines regarding medicine production evolved, inspections became more rigorous, which also caused disruptions and we are supporting our clients as they adapt.

Q: How does Eolis expect to grow during 2021?

PF: We are focusing on three main projects. First, we want to further consolidate our presence in the pharmaceutical industry. Second, we are working to attract more clients to our industrial services division, which is in charge of providing air treatment services to other industries than Life Science ones. Our third goal is to expand to the US. We export and provide services to Latin America and we are looking to introduce our business model to the north. This project began prior to the pandemic but we had to pause it because of the global crisis. So far, we have established an office in the US, and registered the company; operations are to be launched this summer.

Eolis wants to export its design-built business model for the biopharma industry and its specialized HVAC manufacturing capacity developed in Puebla to industrial clients in the US. Our manufacturing facility is very competitive in all aspects, quality, delays and costs; we are confident we will be successful working north of the border.

TD: For the industrial division, we want to support our clients in other manufacturing industries besides pharmaceuticals. Biosecurity is a concern for many manufacturing processes so we are ready to be a strategic partner for more industries. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our clients are evolving their businesses. For instance, textile manufacturers have found an opportunity to produce face masks and, depending on their focus, others are producing sanitizing gel or personal protection equipment, which all need controlled environments to guarantee production excellence.  

Eolis América Latina is an air treatment systems specialist that creates solutions that combine technology and expertise to support industrial processes.