On Tuesday, the technology group Sartorius officially opened a new building for the manufacture of filters and single-use bags for biopharmaceutical applications at its Yauco, Puerto Rico site.

The global pharma supplier and provider of laboratory equipment invested around €16 million into the expansion of its production capacity in Puerto Rico. Covering an area of 5,000 square meters, the new eco-friendly building complex provides space for two new clean rooms for filter and bag manufacture, labs and offices.

By the end of the year, bag manufacturing operations will be moved from their present site in Concord, California, to Yauco, Puerto Rico. There, Sartorius added about 120 new employees and thus nearly doubled its workforce. The Concord site is due to close by the end of 2012.