Manufacturing Facility Updates

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Over the past few weeks, there have been many facility expansions and announcements in the manufacturing sphere. Pharmaceutical Technology® gives a brief overview of some of the developments in manufacturing facilities, including news from W.R. Grace & Co, ITT Inc, and SMC.

On Mar. 18, 2024, W.R. Grace & Co. (Grace), a global specialty chemicals company, announced the completed expansion of its fine chemical contract development and manufacturing (CDM) facility located in South Haven, Missouri. The facility produces APIs, regulatory starting materials (RSMs), and drug intermediates, while staying compliant with FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. The completion of the 21-month project adds 25% more capacity to the facility, which has cleared the way for the addition of a 4000-gallon Hastelloy centrifuge and three 4000-gallon, multi-use chemical reactors. With these additions, Grace aims to fill a growing demand for APIs.

“The additional capacity and cutting-edge equipment in South Haven bolster our ability to grow with our current and future customers through every stage of fine chemical manufacturing—from research and development to clinical trials, scale-up services and commercial production of custom molecules and compounds,” said Brenda Kelly, president, Materials Technologies, Grace, in a Grace press release.

On March 21, 2024, ITT Inc. (ITT), a manufacturer known for centrifugal and twin-screw pumps, announced an $11 million expansion of its testing capabilities at three of its industrial process (IP) sites. This expansion of the sites, located in Obernkirchen, Germany, Vadodara, India, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, aims to increase capacity for large project awards in its flow business. The increase in pump, motor, and control systems testing power capacity will allow ITT to locally test larger and more complicated pump packages.

According to a company press release, the investments at ITT’s Goulds Pumps sites in Saudi Arabia and India aim to facilitate future growth in line with ITT’s ‘in region, for region’ strategy. At the company’s Bornemann pumps site in Germany, ITT plans to use the expansion to “replicate field conditions through complete unit multiphase fluid testing.” These expansions are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024.

“These strategic investments will further enhance our capabilities and customer experience and continue to differentiate ITT from the competition,” said Luca Savi, ITT’s chief executive officer and president, in the press release. “Our added capabilities will be a critical part of our commitment to becoming the preferred global flow provider by offering a superior solution through innovation, world-class customer service and flawless execution.”

Instead of expanding existing facilities, some manufacturers are acquiring new ones. On March 13, 2024, SMC, a contract manufacturer of single use and disposable medical devices, announced the acquisition of an end-to-end fill/finish facility in Charlotte, NC. The facility is intended to provide SMC with a wider range of services that it can offer, including device manufacture, fill/finish, final assembly, lab-to-market development, analytical services, and secondary packaging. SMC aims to use the new facility to offer high-speed, sterile fill/finish lines with onsite formulation, compounding, and packaging services.

“SMC is recognized globally for its ability to deliver complex, complete drug delivery systems with unrivalled speed and agility,” said VP and general manager, Uri Baruch in an SMC press release. “This acquisition not only adds to this capability, it reaffirms our commitment to the pharma market and completes another phase of our growth agenda.”

Sources: Grace, ITT, SMC