In this article, I’ll share real-world examples showing how custom bioprocess containers can make a big difference in manufacturing. Some stories come from my own experience as CEO of Vonco, while others are well-known industry cases. I’ve left out company names so we can focus on the lessons, not the brands.
In Bioprocessing, Breakthroughs Usually Get the Headlines
A new cell line. A better media formulation. A clever genetic tweak that either raises yields or stabilizes an unstable pathway.
But from what I’ve seen, some of the biggest improvements in biomanufacturing come from something less flashy: the equipment and flexible bioprocess containers that quietly support the process.
I’m talking about the single-use systems that move fluids from one step to the next.
At Vonco, we think a lot about bioprocess containers (BPCs). One thing I’ve learned is that when a process has problems, people almost never look at the container first.
But sometimes, they should.
Over the years, I’ve seen manufacturers struggle with yield loss, contamination events, or scaling challenges that appeared to be complex biological problems, until a closer look at the system design revealed the real cause.
Here are a few examples showing how simply rethinking a BPC can change the course of a process.
The Yield Problem Everyone Thought Was a Media Problem
A CDMO once shared a frustrating mystery with us. At pilot scale, their monoclonal antibody process looked fantastic. Cell growth was consistent, titers were strong, and early runs gave them confidence they were on track for a smooth scale-up.
Then production began.
Almost immediately, yields dropped by nearly 20 percent.
Of course, the team did what any good process group would do. They checked the media recipe, looked at cell line stability, reviewed bioreactor settings, and ran more tests.
Everything looked normal.
But what stood out was how the media and supplements were added to the system. The standard BPC they used had ports in places that forced sharp tubing bends and awkward fluid paths.
It didn’t seem like a big deal at first. But those bends caused local shear and uneven mixing. When the team switched to a custom BPC with better port locations and smoother fluid paths, the results showed up right away.
The next production run recovered nearly all of the lost yield.
Sometimes, the difference between a struggling process and a successful one is simply how the fluid moves through the system.
The Contamination That Didn’t Make Sense
Another manufacturer, this time working on a vaccine platform, faced a very different problem. Every few months, a batch would fail due to contamination. Not frequently enough to establish a clear pattern, but often enough to cause serious operational headaches.
The facility itself was world-class. Environmental monitoring was solid. Operators were experienced.
Every investigation ended the same way: no clear root cause.
Eventually, the team began reviewing the single-use assemblies used during intermediate transfers.
The real problem turned out to be surprisingly simple.
Their standard BPC configuration required multiple manual tubing connections between process steps.
Every connection created a small risk of exposure and depended on the operator to get it just right.
Each risk was small on its own, but over hundreds of batches, they added up. By redesigning the BPC assembly with built-in sterile connectors and pre-set tubing, the team created a closed fluid path from harvest through downstream steps.
After the change, contamination events disappeared.
The process didn’t change.
The biology didn’t change.
The system did.
When High-Density Cultures Outgrow Standard Systems
High-density cell cultures are an exciting development in bioprocessing. They let manufacturers make more products in less space and time, but they also put extra stress on every part of the production system.
One new biotech company working on a cell therapy platform saw this for themselves. Their process pushed cell densities to the limit of what their equipment could handle. As densities rose, the system started to struggle. Feed additions weren’t even, sampling was inconsistent, and gas exchange couldn’t keep up.
None of these problems showed up during early development, but once they hit production-scale densities, the limits were clear.
By transitioning to a custom BPC designed specifically for their high-density workflow – adding optimized feed ports, improved sampling locations, and redesigned gas exchange elements – the process stabilized.
Cell viability improved. Culture performance became predictable again.
The team could finally focus on moving their therapy forward instead of battling equipment problems.
Manufacturing Gets Complicated Fast
One of the realities of commercial biomanufacturing is that processes rarely stay simple for long.
A biologics manufacturer I know was running several overlapping batches faced this exact issue. Their production floor looked less like a smooth process and more like a maze of tubing, connectors, and quick fixes.
Operators were always reworking standard BPC assemblies to keep up with the batch schedule.
Each change made things more complicated. Every extra connection added risk.
The team worked together to redesign their BPC systems for multi-batch workflows. The new containers had extra ports, modular tubing, and dedicated sampling access, so operators could switch between batches without rebuilding everything.
The manufacturing floor changed almost overnight. Operator workload dropped. Turnaround times improved. And the entire process became far easier to manage.
The Quiet Impact of Smart System Design
Bioprocess containers are rarely the most visible part of manufacturing. They don’t make the molecules, change the cell line, or get mentioned in scientific papers about new therapies. But they’re essential for making the whole system work.
When BPCs are custom designed for the process, they make manufacturing smoother, improve reliability, protect sterility, and help teams get the most out of their biology.
That’s why I always tell teams not to treat the container as an afterthought.
It should be part of the engineering discussion right from the start.
Sometimes, the biggest process improvements don’t come from changing the biology.
They come from building a better system around it.
Learn more about Vonco and Keith’s role as President and CEO