The facility in Guangzhou, a city on China's southern coast, is due to be opened officially next week.
However, the site actually started producing and assembling Applikon’s range of bioreactors last summer according to spokesman Erik Kakes.
“The plant has gone on-line in August of 2013 and we have already produced over 50 units in our new facility,” Kakes told BioPharma-Reporter.com.
He added that “at first the plant will be assembling for China only. On the longer term we envision this plant to become the hub for Asia.”
The firm currently employs a staff of 25 people at the site but plans to double its workforce by the end of the year according to Kakes.
Asian plan
At present, Asian customers generate about a third of Applikon’s global turnover, with China being the largest market.
Kakes said that: “We decided to setup our plant in China to be able to offer better and faster support to this significant market. Our customers benefit from Chinese Government investment and this increases the size of the market for us.”
The Chinese Government has been investing in the country’s biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry for more than twenty years, beginning in the 1990s with the launch of a national vaccine production programme in which Applikon was involved.
Since then support for the biopharmaceutical industry has increased.
The country’s 12th five-year plan – published in 2009 – highlighted the biotechnology sector as one of seven “emerging strategic industries” deserving of Government support.
Applikon already counts CNBG, Qilu pharma, Wuxi Aptech, Wison pharma and Recomgen among its customer base, many of which have received government support.