ATMI and Austar open packaging materials plant in China
The Beijing facility, operated with Hong Kong-based Austar LifeSciences, will employ blow-film extrusion technology to produce sterile packaging materials for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and medical device components.
ATMI said the new plant and Austar partnership improve access to the region’s pharmaceutical packaging market, citing the addition of local ISO Class V GMP-certified, cleanroom-based infrastructure as a particular advantage.
The importance of manufacturing capacity in Asia was stressed by Austar CEO Mars Ho, who suggested it is an “important competitive differentiator” for multinational firms looking to grow their businesses in the region.
Future plans, global network
The Beijing plant also provides a platform for expansion of ATMIs bioprocessing business which, the firm said, “could be rolled out directly as the Asian biotech market continues to emerge.”
This part of ATMIs business has seen much expansion in recent times, beginning in April when it launched the Integrity disposable bioreactor and continuing this summer with the roll out of a new range of 2 and 3D bioprocess vessels (BPVs).
These launches were accompanied, in July, by the completion of a two-year $45.5m (€3.4m) project that saw ATMI increase BPV manufacturing capacity at its in Bloomington, Minnesota, US.
This extra capability, when added to capacity at its plant in Hoegaarden, Belgium, means ATMI will finish 2010 with double the manufacturing space it had at the start of the year, which is a sure indication the firm expects its bioprocess to grow.
This idea is somewhat supported by ATMI’ s latest set of financials that saw revenue from the life sciences sector increase 31 per cent to $6.9m, continuing the trend seen over the first nine months of 2010 during which sales increased 36 per cent to $23m.
Market insight
in-Pharmatechnologist spoke with ATMI director of business development Jeffrey Craig at CPhI 2010 in Paris earlier this year about the rapidly evolving global market for bioprocessing.
