Datwyler steps up pharma rubber production in Asia

Satara, India – Datwyler Scheiz AG is building a new pharmaceutical rubber component plant in Satara, Maharashtra, according to a company official.

The new FirstLine facility is specially designed to manufacture pharmaceutical rubber components in a fully integrated good manufacturing practice (GMP) environment, Rahul Dev, vice-president Datwyler India told ERJ.

Spread over an area of 24,000 sq.m, the facility will be integrated in the existing premises and will start to operate in 2017.

The company has also purchased an additional 24,000 sq.m piece of land adjacent to the plant for future growth, said Dev.

Being developed as part of Datwyler’s commitment to the Indian and Asian markets, the new facility’s most complex rubber components will belong to the Omniflex family, a series of vial and syringe components.

“These complex products have a total fluoropolymer coating which prevents any interaction with the drugs,” explained Dev.

In addition to Omniflex, Datwyler will also be focusing on “high-end rubber formulations” for products such as plunger stoppers, serum stoppers and customised stoppers.

“India’s pharmaceutical and biotech markets are evolving rapidly and within the last years, they were able to gain traction from global manufacturers, suppliers and customers,” Dev explained.

He did not disclose the cost of the new plant but said the company had “invested a significant amount of money in the construction of the FristLine facility.”

The current plant provided 2.3 billion rubber components during 2015, and the figure is expected to reach 3.8 billion components this year.