Specialist in powder containment and aseptic transfer valves, ChargePoint Technology has announced its investment in production capabilities at its UK site for large scale drug manufacturing that requires containment.
Scale up investment
The investment has been made in response to increased customer demand, driven by growth in therapeutic areas. “We are seeing an increase in demand from solid dose manufacturing companies, including big pharma firms and CMOs in the US and Europe, for large-scale containment valve solutions,” commented Tony O’Sullivan, chief commercial officer at ChargePoint Technology.
A new five-axis machine will be installed at the company’s facility in Liverpool and will form part of a wider £1 million investment into advanced manufacturing capabilities. It will enable the company to speed up the production and delivery of larger diameter valves up to 350 mm.
“Our new machinery enables us to manufacture larger diameter valves, directly addressing this market need. In addition, our in-house manufacturing strategy provides us with absolute control over the quality of the final product so our customers can rest assured that they receive high-performing and reliable technology,” added O’Sullivan. “Growth in the high-volume manufacture of generics, particularly in Asia, is also driving demand for larger containment valves, as there is a need to upgrade existing process equipment to safely replicate the production of higher potency off patent drugs, while ensuring drug quality and operator safety. We expect this segment to grow in the future as the pharmaceutical landscape evolves.”
Additionally, the company’s investment includes a new automated washing plant that will be used in the cleaning of parts with higher throughput capacity, as well as a 3-axis coordinate measuring machine for high precision measurement and scanning of critical valve components in-house.
Over the next three years, ChargePoint Technology plans to invest further in manufacturing capabilities, particularly in evolving its product design.