EXTON, Pa.—West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. has opened a recently constructed compression molding plant in Shanghai, China.
A dedication ceremony marked the opening of the facility, which is located adjacent to West's injection molding factory that began operating in September 2009. Construction on the newest building began in June 2011.
The 128,000-sq.-ft. plant will produce elastomeric stoppers and other components used for packaging injectable drugs and employ about 50. It will primarily supply customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region.
West is experiencing significant growth in the region, which led to construction of the company's second plant in China, according to Donald E. Morel Jr., chairman and CEO of the Exton-based firm.
“This facility will provide better service to our customers, offering shorter lead times for delivery of our world-class pharmaceutical packaging products and creating new, flexible capacity to meet the growing demands for our products in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
The new plant continues West's global expansion plans “and is a perfect compliment to the injection molding plant already established” in the country, said Warwick Bedwell, president of West's Asia-Pacific region.
West also has a factory in Singapore and sales offices in Australia, China, India and Singapore. It is currently constructing its first factory in India.