Klöckner Pentaplast Group's pharmaceutical and medical device films division KP Pharma, has started production at its recent expansion in Suzhou, China.
The company announced April 9 that its converting capabilities increased in China through the installation of a new slitting line at its Chinese site.
This, said the German packaging firm, will reduce lead times and increase flexibility for all material grades supplied into the Chinese market.
The new, qualified slitting center has a closed clean room environment, meeting China's requirements of ISO 15378.
The site has a fully operational micro-biological lab for quality control purposes.
“We are seeing substantial growth in all product segments in Asia. New CFDA regulations in China are increasing the focus on the quality and performance of the packaging materials used, as well as increased demand for barrier performance to protect the sensitivity of new drugs,” said Tracey Peacock, president of KP Pharma.
The new capacity will also support the Asian market as it continues to experience double-digit growth.
“We have been quietly adding to our capabilities in other parts of the world and now we will accelerate the actions to address the growing Asian market place,” Peacock said.
Asia, she added, provides “exciting opportunities” as regulation continues to increase with many Europe, Middle East and Africa countries and U..S standards are adopted in the region.