KINSTON, N.C.—As the pandemic pushes into its third year, the pharmaceutical industry and its innovations remain critical to health and well-being.
Some might say that pharmaceutical companies have achieved their "finest hour" in this battle, with the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines and mass production of related testing and detection kits.
As a company that produces containment and delivery systems for these medicines, West Pharmaceutical has been at the forefront of the fight, saying Feb. 1 that it will invest $70 million in its Kinston, N.C., location, expanding the site by 63,000 square feet and 70 jobs.
"Our entire West team is very excited about the role we are playing and what it means for our customers and patients around the world," said Mike Fischer, senior director of operations at West. "The team has a real sense of pride about our mission of improving patient lives, and the critical role we are playing in the fight against this pandemic.
"What they are doing gives them a great feeling, since they are having such an impact on the world—not just in Kinston, not just from local sites using our products, (but) all over the world."
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With 206,000 square feet and 600 West Pharma employees already in Kinston, the expansion is based on high demand for compression-molded medical components.
"To address increasing demand, we brought forward already planned capital investments in production capacity, including installation of new manufacturing equipment at several of our sites, including here in Kinston, to prepare for the future demand," Fischer said. "The demand needs from the pandemic necessitated these plans be brought forward and put into place sooner than originally planned."
Although Fischer would not divulge site-specific production numbers, the expansion will include production space for additional manufacturing equipment used to produce packaging and drug delivery components. Testing equipment—both analytical and physical—have been added as well.
And the expansion will create additional warehousing space, gowning rooms and a new cafeteria to support the additional employees.
"Ultimately, the Kinston investment enables us to achieve our purpose of serving to improve patient lives," Fischer told Rubber News.
West Pharma Kinston is all-inclusive in its manufacturing processes, taking products from the start of raw material compounding to the "absolute finish," Fischer said, using a variety of elastomers that are mixed into proprietary formulations for rubber stoppers, plungers, seals and other delivery devices.
The site contains quality testing labs; clean rooms ranging from zone 10 to zone 5 ISO; manufacturing lines for compression molding, coating processes, trimming, rinsing and sterilizing; and office space.
"We have been committed to doing our part to speed the successful development and large-scale manufacture of high-quality components required to serve customer needs for the delivery of a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine," Fischer said. "The dedication, commitment and 'whatever it takes' attitude of our team members has been truly inspiring and critical in supporting this effort."