Catalent Pharma Solutions has announced the completion of the first phase of a US$7.3 million investment to upgrade and expand its packaging and softgel encapsulation capabilities at its facility in Aprilia, Italy.
Commenting on the build project, Catalent said: "No one contractor was involved in the whole construction, and much of the project management has been handled in-house, however, Catalent has been supported by TECHNICONSULT in design and construction management." Catalent told CT that the decision on some ancillary equipment has not yet been made, however, the encapsulation machinery is RP Scherer-designed, and was fully refurbished for this application. "The new retail packaging facility, including offices, will cover 1,500 square metres. Upon completion, encapsulation capacity will be increased by approximately 30%," Catalent's spokesperson told CT.Softgel product development
Catalent provides delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products.
The first phase of investment, completed in August 2018, saw the expansion and upgrade of the integrated packaging capabilities and the commissioning of the first of five new softgel encapsulation lines.
The second phase of the investment, to add a further four encapsulation lines, will bring the total number of lines to 23 and significantly expand production, drying and inspection capacity for nutritional supplements, and beauty softgels at the site. It is expected that these four new lines will be fully operational by January 2019.
“We have a long and proud history in softgel product development and commercial manufacturing,” commented Dr Aris Gennadios, President of Catalent Softgel Technologies.
He added: “This investment is driven by increasing demand for nutritional and beauty products globally, and will enable Catalent to better serve these markets.”
Catalent, Inc. is a global provider of drug delivery technology and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products. The company is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, in the US.
