Pharma, biotech and cosmetics market supplier Gerresheimer AG is investing about $180 million (166 million euros) to expand its facility in Peachtree City, Ga., by 53,800 square feet, to add production capacity for inhalers and auto injectors.
Gerresheimer's "ongoing global expansion projects are, in general, based on long-term customer orders," Jutta Lorberg, head of corporate communication at Gerresheimer, told Plastics News in an email.
The company planned the expansion of the facility in two stages, this first of which is "almost completed," Lorberg said, adding that production in that area of the facility will ramp up "towards the end of this year."
The first stage of expansion is a new, 83,000-square-foot building, directly next to the existing plant. About 53,800 square feet of the space are intended for ISO 14644-1 clean room class 9 production areas.
The new building also includes an automated, high-bay warehouse. The company plans to install production equipment in the space in the second half of 2024 ahead of the ramp up of production.
The second stage of expansion is a new, 110,000-square-foot plant near Atlanta Regional Airport, about 1.6 miles from Gerresheimer's existing site. It will also have an automated high-bay warehouse and about 77,500-square-feet of clean room class 9 production space.
Construction will begin on the new site "after the preparatory work for the access road and supply infrastructure," according to a company news release.
The company expects to begin production at the new site, which offers space for future expansions, to start around the end of 2025.
Gerresheimer has begun hiring for the first expansion stage, which will require about 200 new jobs. It expects the majority of new hires to take place at the end of 2024.
"Hires for the second expansion stage will take place … towards the end of 2025," Lorberg added.
The expansion will create a total of about 400 new jobs in Peachtree City, the release said. The company currently employs about 270 people at the site.
The Peachtree City site produces medical devices such as inhalers, components for infusion sets, microinjectors, test cards for microbiological tests and auto injectors, which can be used in diabetes and obesity therapy, among other things.
"North America is an important growth market for us," Dietmar Siemssen, CEO of Gerresheimer AG, said in the release. "The expansion of the site in Peachtree City is of great importance for our medical device business in the USA. [It] is … currently one of the key projects in our global capacity expansions based on long-term customer contracts."
When both expansions are complete, Gerresheimer will have about 700 employees at the Peachtree City sites, where it produces medical devices such as inhalers, components for infusion sets, microinjectors, test cards for microbiological tests and auto injectors, which can be used in diabetes and obesity therapy, among other things.
The company provides containment solutions for medicines, drug delivery systems and medical devices, as well as solutions for the health care industry. Its range of services includes digital solutions for therapy support, drug pumps, syringes, pens, injection vials, ampoules, tablet containers, infusion, dropper and syrup bottles.
Gerresheimer AG has 35 production sites in 16 countries in Europe, America and Asia, with about 12,000 employees. The company generated sales of about $2.16 billion (2 billion euros) in 2023.