Restoring HVAC reliability at Boehringer Ingelheim’s manufacturing plant in Brazil

After an unsuccessful outsourcing experience, Boehringer Ingelheim faced reliability issues across HVAC systems supporting its Campinas, São Paulo manufacturing plant. The site comprises four buildings producing veterinary pharmaceutical products, with approximately 90% of output exported internationally.

Operating under strict regulatory requirements, the plant relies on tightly controlled temperature, humidity, and pressure conditions to maintain product quality and compliance with standards such as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). Restoring system reliability and ensuring consistent environmental control were critical to stabilizing operations and supporting uninterrupted production.

To restore system reliability, Boehringer Ingelheim entered into an operations and maintenance agreement with Johnson Controls focused on returning HVAC equipment to its original operating condition. Once stability was achieved, a structured preventive maintenance program was implemented to sustain performance.

Over four years, the scope evolved to include predictive maintenance. A dedicated onsite team of 20 resident employees, including technicians and a supervisor, supports continuous 24x7 operations and proactively identifies actions needed to maintain safe, compliant plant performance.

Boehringer Ingelheim now maintains 98% availability across HVAC equipment, supporting consistent environmental conditions for pharmaceutical production.

The plant also achieved sustainability improvements, including reduced air exchange volumes in production environments, lower chiller energy consumption, and prevention of leaks in HVAC ductwork. These outcomes support longer-term sustainability objectives and future investments aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and progressing toward Net Zero goals.

Boehringer Ingelheim is a global pharmaceutical company with operations in Brazil, producing veterinary pharmaceutical products for domestic and international markets.