Trelleborg Medical expands US ‘biopharmaceutical’ products plant

Trelleborg, Sweden – Trelleborg Medical Solutions has enhanced its biopharma capabilities with a new, “state-of-the-art” facility in the US, the group announced 25 Nov.

The company has completed an expansion programme at its Northborough facility in Massachusetts, which now features 13,000 sq.f. of ISO8 cleanroom space for extrusion, moulding, and assembly.

The expanded site will complement Trelleborg’s recently launched European facility in Malta, serving as the group’s two “biopharma manufacturing” sites.

The additional capacity will enable the company to be “the partner of choice for all leading biopharmaceutical equipment providers of single-use products,” said Linda Muroski, TMS president.

According to Muroski, there is growing demand from Trelleborg customers to bring new biopharma therapies to market faster.

“At our facility in Northborough, we can do that while providing value-added services like assembly, kitting, contract manufacturing, packaging, validation and supply chain management,” she said.

“Our experts in Northborough… have the knowledge to ensure each product meets standards for quality, regulatory compliance and process control,” said Stephen Longley-Martines, facility manager for Northborough,

The site, he added, is also “strategically located near Boston, one of the leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing regions in the world, putting us in close proximity to our customers.”

This facility in Northborough became part of Trelleborg through an acquisition in 2005 and was, at the time, focused on providing solutions for the general industry.

In 2015, it was rebuilt to meet the increased demand in medical technology and was subsequently equipped with a cleanroom production facility, among other enhancements.

In a statement to ERJ, Trelleborg said the facility was subsequently specialised to become a "biopharma centre of excellence".

“This means that it creates a place where OEMs and biopharma processing companies can source solutions specifically designed for fluid path single-use equipment,” it explained.

As part of the expansion, Trelleborg said it increased capacity for extrusion, moulding, and assembly, and added ISO8 cleanroom space.

“Besides adding more space, we have also upgraded our equipment. From mixing and milling the materials to extrusion, measurement, and curing, we have invested in technology for the entire process,” it added.