Gerresheimer, an innovative system and solution provider and a global partner for the pharma, biotech and cosmetics industries, is expanding its production capacity in Skopje, North Macedonia, with a new production hall for syringes.
Gerresheimer
Since 2019, Gerresheimer has been producing drug delivery systems, diagnostic and medical products made of plastic on around 14,600 m² at this site. The new factory hall adds around 7,600 m² of production space for glass syringes. The company is investing over €100 million in the construction and equipment of the new building. The expansion of the site will double the number of employees in Skopje from around 250 to 500 over the next three to five years. The new production hall in Skopje is currently one of the key projects in the global capacity expansion for drug delivery systems and syringes for long-term customer contracts.
"Combining production capacities for plastic and glass at one location for the efficient production of integrated solutions for the pharma industry is a further step in the implementation of our corporate strategy formula g," explains Dietmar Siemssen, CEO of Gerresheimer. "As a systems and solutions provider, our customers receive individually tailored, fully integrated solutions. In the future, for example, we will also supply ready-to-fill syringe systems from Skopje."
New syringe production hall for the highest demands
The new production hall is specifically designed for the manufacture of syringes and other primary packaging made of tubular glass. The total area, including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Class C and D clean rooms, covers around 7,600 square meters – roughly the size of a soccer field. The new hall provides space for the precision glass forming lines developed and manufactured by Gerresheimer itself, as well as specific assembly and ready-to-fill lines.
Glass and plastics production with growth reserve at one location
Since 2019, Gerresheimer has been producing drug delivery systems as well as diagnostic and medical products and components made of plastic on around 14,600 m² in Skopje, including ISO class 7, 8 and 9 clean rooms. This also includes syringe accessories such as the Gerresheimer Gx TELC syringe closure system and the Gx InnoSafe safety system, which protects against accidental needlestick injuries.
One advantage of the plant in Skopje, with its 7,600 m² extension, is the combination of production capacities for pharmaceutical plastic and glass products at one location. This enables efficient production of integrated solutions with optimized logistics. For example, customers can obtain fully assembled ready-to-fill syringe systems in a wide variety of configurations from Skopje. The site in Skopje also offers growth potential. 100,000 m² of additional space is available on the site for future expansion.
Quality assurance
Gerresheimer uses inspection systems for quality assurance as part of its certified quality management system, including, for example, the Gx G3 inspection system with high-speed camera technology and AI-based image processing developed in-house by Gerresheimer for the syringe production. In addition, the plant in Skopje has two in-house laboratories with high precision measurement technology and laboratory equipment for optical, mechanical, chemical and microbiological testing.
Very good infrastructure and local specialists
Gerresheimer's Skopje site is located in a well-connected industrial area close to the international airport of the North Macedonian capital. Larger Mediterranean ports in Greece and Albania are each around 250 km away. The country has a well-trained workforce. Around a quarter of Gerresheimer's workforce at the site was trained by Gerresheimer experts in Germany. In addition, Gerresheimer cooperates with the University of Skopje in order to recruit qualified young talents.
Ramp-up of syringe production in Skopje by the end of 2024
The first syringe production lines will ramp up in Skopje shortly, with more to be added in the course of 2025. This means that Gerresheimer is currently concentrating syringe production at its sites in Bünde (Germany), Querétaro (Mexico) and Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia).