Tubing and hose manufacturer NewAge Industries Inc. is branching into pharmaceutical, biomedical and other clean applications with a new business unit.
AdvantaPure will design and manufacture products for those critical industries. NewAge has invested $1 million to $2 million to set up a dedicated manufacturing area at its Southampton, Pa., factory, according to Don Warner, marketing director of AdvantaPure and NewAge.
``There has been considerable consolidation in this business in recent years, and we felt there was an opportunity here,'' he said.
A measurable portion of the investment went into setting up a Class 1,000 clean room, Warner said. The room has a low-particulate-level, white-room storage area, where each finished product is kept in its own white box to prevent contamination.
The company also created a separate room for fabrication, testing and packaging of hose assemblies, Warner said at the National Manufacturing Week trade show in Chicago.
In addition to hose assemblies, AdvantaPure will offer platinum-cured silicone tubing and hose, fluoropolymer hose with stainless-steel or polypropylene overbraiding, rubber-covered hose and sanitary fittings such as stoppers, connectors and gaskets. Many of the hose products are reinforced for high-pressure use.
The new division also is evaluating food-grade applications as a possible area of expansion, Warner said.
NewAge plans to launch AdvantaPure formally at the InterphexUSA pharmaceutical industry trade show April 15-17 in New York.
The creation of AdvantaPure is a natural extension of NewAge's focus on silicones and fluoropolymers, Warner said. The company did not offer sales projections for the new division.
NewAge started laying the groundwork for the business venture as long as two years ago when it consolidated its operations at a 240,000-square-foot building in Southampton.
Raymond Baker founded NewAge Industries in 1954. His son Ken now owns and manages the company. It also operates a sister company, Colex International Ltd., which makes silicone, polyurethane, PVC and nylon tubing for European markets at a 30,000-square-foot plant in Market Harborough, England.
NewAge employs 110 and annual sales of about $15 million.