It means manufacturing capacity of aseptic filling machinery is expanded by over 200%.
Cytiva said the machines, known as workcells, provide gloveless, robotic aseptic filling capability for final drug product into vials, syringes, and cartridges. “Robotic aseptic filling workcells reduce risk and increase flexibility in pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
The site will serve as a Center of Excellence for Cytiva’s aseptic filling business, housing R&D and service. “Manufacturing will begin on the first workcell to be built at the newly opened site in September, with production to be fully transferred over to the new site by the end of this year.”
Olivier Loeillot, vice president, bioprocess, Cytiva, told us the aseptic filling business has grown rapidly since the company acquired it from Vanrx Pharmasystems in February 2021.
“The current location became too small to house our people as well as meet increased production from customer demand, so a new, larger space was needed.
“This expansion reflects the growing industry acceptance of what is a fundamentally different technology than what came before. It gives us plenty of room to meet the steadily growing demand for idea to injection solutions for our customers.”
Energy conservation
The facility, which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, is also heavily focused on ensuring sustainable production, said Cytiva.
“All lighting in the building is LED and tied to motion sensors to conserve energy. There is a comprehensive recycling and waste management program and six electric car charging stations, with capacity for additional stations as needed.”
The new plant also has 20 build bays outfitted with customizable electrical and mechanical infrastructure changeable for shifting production needs; 40-foot warehouse height to accommodate incoming materials and outgoing finished goods; and special air handling technology for better air quality in assembly areas, including louvres that can open the manufacturing space to fresh air, said the group.
The facility will house around 200 employees by the end of 2022, with room for future expansion.