Boehringer plans Solids Launch Unit

Boehringer Ingelheim has broken ground for a new €85 million facility at its headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany. The Solids Launch plant, slated to start up in 2020 and employ 75 people, will focus on developing and manufacturing new tablet-form pharmaceuticals.

The drugmaker said its “new vision” for production of solid medications will see the headquarters site develop and manufacture more complex tablets for global launches. At the same time, it is continuously moving production of older, easier-to-manufacture products to other sites within its global manufacturing network.

When the new facility at Ingelheim is up and running, production of less complex drugs will be relocated from Germany to less expensive countries such as Mexico and Greece.

The Solids Launch plant will incorporate new manufacturing methods, including continuous production and a contained production train to handle higher potent compounds, Boehringer said. It also will have a flexible layout that allows for rearrangements of rooms and equipment to speed production starts

At Ingelheim, said Stefan Rinn, country manager for Germany, the company is “thoroughly committed to investing in technologies and processes with high added value. This is why it is  establishing the site as a centerpiece for global market launches of pharmaceutical innovation.

Boehringer is also incorporating the €34 million “diabetes factory” it completed last year into its new launch strategy.