SCHOTT opens new plant in Suzhou, China

Today, SCHOTT celebrated the opening of a new plant for glass pharmaceutical packaging on its existing production site in Suzhou (Jiangsu province). The new plant makes SCHOTT the first global manufacturer of primary pharmaceutical packaging made of glass to set up an own local production base in China. The Suzhou site will serve Chinese domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies with high-quality products and services.

“Our products are aimed at the high end of the market and we view our local manufacturing presence in China as a way to build and develop the field of high-quality packaging in China,” said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Management Board of SCHOTT AG during the opening ceremony. “We’re bringing high technology to China. By manufacturing pharmaceutical packaging in Suzhou at international quality levels, we are a strong partner to the Chinese pharmaceutical industry on their way toward reaching international quality standards.” The new plant will also ensure a better service and faster supply to Chinese customers.
According to industry analysts, China is expected to become the world`s fifth largest pharmaceutical market by 2010, and the largest by 2050. The Chinese market for glass pharmaceutical packaging is still dominated by low-priced products, but SCHOTT believes that the rapid development of China´s pharmaceutical sector will spur demand for higher quality pharmaceutical packaging. “SCHOTT will focus on the premium segment for high-quality packaging, where strong growth is expected in China in the coming years”, said Dr. Juergen Sackhoff, Executive Vice President for the Business Unit Pharmaceutical Systems. “We are therefore mainly targeting the domestic market with this new production facility.”

The new plant is currently able to achieve a production capacity of more than 100 million vials and ampoules per year, and can be adapted to meet further increases in customer demand. All products comply with the high international standards for pharmaceutical primary packaging.

The new plant covers an area of 2,500 square meters and adheres to the highest precision standards and a strict system of process control for the production of vials and ampoules. SCHOTT works with premium raw materials, uses advanced technology and relies on a highly qualified and trained workforce, for example. The combination of these factors enables the production of high quality containers that ensure the protection and storage of drugs, as well as the safety of patients and healthcare personnel.

The Suzhou plant creates important new job and training opportunities in the region. Many of the 50 employees have already received overseas training. According to Charlie Sim, General Manager of SCHOTT Glass Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., the company will offer very competitive salaries and social benefits packages in accordance with corporate SCHOTT standards.

About SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging and SCHOTT AG:
SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging is one of the world’s leading suppliers of parenteral packaging for the pharmaceutical industry. More than 500 production lines in 12 production sites worldwide produce 7 billion syringes, vials, ampoules, cartridges and special articles made of tubing glass or polymer. Excellent raw materials, state-of-the-art manufacturing, the use of the latest technologies and continuous research and development enable the company to develop innovative product solutions that meet the high demands of its customers. The back-up possibilities offered by production sites situated all over the world provide flexibility, reliability and security to its partners. All production sites of the Business Segment SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging operate in a GMP environment and the products comply with the international standards USP, EP and JP.

SCHOTT is an international technology group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions. To this end, the company has been developing special materials, components and systems for nearly 125 years. The main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, pharmaceuticals, solar energy, electronics, optics and the automotive industry. The SCHOTT Group is present in close proximity to its customers with production and sales companies in all its major markets. The Group’s approximately 16,700 employees generated worldwide sales of approximately € 2.1 billion The company´s technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility. The parent company of the SCHOTT Group is SCHOTT AG, whose sole shareholder is the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Foundation).