Strengthening industry-academia partnership to empower future pharma professionals
In a landmark step toward bridging the gap between academic training and real-world pharmaceutical manufacturing, O’Hara Technologies Inc., a Toronto-based global leader in tablet coating and processing equipment, has installed a lab-scale tablet coater at the Bombay College of Pharmacy (BCP).
The installation is part of the growing Natoli – BCP Laboratory initiative, designed to provide students with hands-on experience using cutting-edge pharmaceutical technology. This new equipment is expected to play a critical role in preparing graduates and researchers to meet the evolving demands of the pharmaceutical industry.
Inauguration and Technical Sessions
The inaugural event opened with a welcome address by Dr. Ram Govindarajan, who thanked O’Hara Technologies and Natoli Engineering for their invaluable contributions. He offered special appreciation to Mr. Yasar Shaikh for his sustained efforts and visionary leadership in establishing the lab.
Leadership Presence and Global Collaboration
The event was graced by Mr. Yasar Shaikh, Vice President – International at O’Hara Technologies and a founding member of the Natoli – BCP Lab, who flew in from Toronto for the occasion. He was joined by Mr. Paul Bovos, Vice President – Operations, O’Hara Technologies.
In his keynote address, Mr. Shaikh expressed heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Brian O’Hara, President of O’Hara Technologies Inc., for his generous support in making the installation possible. He also extended his thanks to Mr. Dale Natoli, President of Natoli Engineering, for entrusting him with the responsibility of establishing the Natoli – BCP Lab.
He acknowledged the vital contributions of Mr. Samir Vasavada (Chief Operating Officer of the joint project), Dr. Ram Govindarajan, and Dr. Mala Menon (Associate Professor at BCP), whose collaboration and commitment were instrumental in the lab’s successful implementation.
During his address, Yasar emphasized the importance of familiarizing students with future-focused pharmaceutical technologies, including continuous coating a key innovation developed by O’Hara Technologies. He highlighted that this initiative represents a broader effort to align academic training with industry standards, enabling smoother integration of graduates into the pharmaceutical workforce. The lab also paves the way for academic- industry collaborative research in areas such as formulation development, process optimization, and technology innovation.
Enhancing Learning through Technical Insight
The seminar also featured participation from Dr. Shantanu Damle and Dr. Nitin Tayade of Colorcon, a global leader in coating systems and excipients. Dr. Damle delivered an insightful presentation on coating materials and troubleshooting, adding valuable technical depth to the event and further enriching the learning experience for both students and faculty.
A Milestone for BCP and Pharmaceutical Education
Dr Ujwala Shinde – Principal of Bombay College of Pharmacy is excited on this addition. The installation of the O’Hara lab-scale coater completes a critical component of Natoli – BCP’s solid dosage development infrastructure, which already includes advanced tablet compression equipment through its collaboration with Natoli Engineering. With this addition, students can now gain end-to-end exposure to key unit operations in oral solid dosage manufacturing from powder compaction to film coating.
As the pharmaceutical industry evolves with advances in automation, continuous manufacturing, and data- driven quality control, partnerships like the one between O’Hara Technologies, Natoli Engineering, and BCP serve as a model for how global collaboration can transform educational ecosystems and unlock new opportunities for students and researchers.
The event concluded by Yasar Shaikh, Shantanu Damle and Paul Bovos taking questions from the audience and students.
About O’Hara Technologies Inc.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, O’Hara Technologies Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of tablet coating systems, pan coaters, and solid dosage processing equipment. Renowned for its innovation in both batch and continuous coating technologies, the company is also committed to supporting pharmaceutical education initiatives worldwide.