Vanguard SystemsVanguard Systems

About

Tai Van

Senior industrial automation engineer, founder of Vanguard Systems. 10+ years of field experience in regulated pharma environments, microtechnology and OEMs in French-speaking Switzerland and the Basel area.

I have been an industrial automation engineer for over 10 years, with a pharma and biotech specialization that led me to work on the main sites of French-speaking Switzerland (Vaud, Lake Geneva arc) and the Basel area. Dual Siemens (PCS7, WinCC, TIA Portal) and Rockwell (ControlLogix, FactoryTalk, PlantPAx) expertise, with regular exposure to GAMP5, 21 CFR Part 11 and ISA-88 batch regulated environments.

I founded Vanguard Systems to offer Swiss industrials direct access to a senior engineer, without the commercial layer and quality dilution that characterize traditional consulting firms. The model is simple: I take technical responsibility for projects, I deliver, I document, I hand over cleanly. For projects requiring dual batch and qualification expertise, I work with my partner Eric Rouane (20+ years pharma CQV).

Beyond core automation, I invest time on emerging topics that genuinely change the field: OT cybersecurity (CAS EITCA 2025), industrial applied AI (CAS EITCA 2024). These are not marketing slides: they are tools I use in the field to solve real operational problems.

Credentials

Professional credentials and continuous training

  • PMP

    Project Management Institute · 2026-2029

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

    Council for Six Sigma Certification · 2025

  • CAS Industrial Cybersecurity

    EITCA · 2025

  • CAS Artificial Intelligence

    EITCA · 2024

Experience

10+ years in industrial automation

  1. Founder & senior automation engineer

    Vanguard Systems · 2024 — present

    Industrial automation consulting and design office for pharma, biotech, microtechnology and OEMs in French-speaking Switzerland.

  2. Solution Architect & Automation Engineer

    Pharma and biotech sites in French-speaking Switzerland and Basel area · 2020 — 2024

    Automation commissioning, maintenance process redesign, energy optimization and applied AI at Merck Serono, Lonza, Takeda and several major Basel-based players.

  3. Automation engineer and project manager

    Pharmaceutical industry · 2014 — 2020

    PCS7 migration projects, GMP qualification, SCADA and MES integration on European pharma sites.

Education

MBA in progress

MBA focused on leadership and strategic management, in progress. Natural complement to technical expertise to address transformation, scale-up and technical leadership challenges.

Publications

Published technical articles

Online presence

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Contact

Work together

Let's discuss your automation needs. Response within 24 working hours.

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