Gerresheimer Announces Two-Stage Expansion in Georgia
The German packaging company is investing $180 million in Peachtree City, expanding production space for injection molding and other activities there by a total of 194,000 ft.2
Gerresheimer (Düsseldorf, Germany), a global supplier of glass and plastics packaging, and delivery systems for the pharma, biotech and cosmetics industries, is significantly expanding its production capacities for molded plastic medical systems such as inhalers and autoinjectors in the U.S. In two expansion stages, Gerresheimer will boost production space at its Peachtree City site in Georgia by around 194,000 ft.2
The company says it will invest a total of $180 million in the construction and equipping of the two new buildings, creating more than 400 new jobs. The company currently employs around 270 people at the site. While the company declined to provide specific details on the amount of capacity it will be adding in Georgia, a Gerresheimer spokesperson told Plastics Technology that it will be installing additional, highly automated injection molding machines and assembly lines in both the first and second steps of the expansion. These are in addition to existing injection molding and assembly capacity at the facility in Peachtree. As part of the expansion, the company will also add an automated high-bay warehouse.
Construction work on the first expansion next to the existing plant is nearly completed, and includes a building addition covering around 83,000 ft.2 Of that space, around 53,800 ft.2 is intended for ISO 14644-1 cleanroom class 9 production areas. After completing construction, Gerresheimer says installation of specialized production technology will begin in the second half of 2024. At the end of 2024, ramp-up of production will start in the new section of the building. Upon completion of the first stage of expansion, Peachtree City will have approximately 130,000 ft.2 of class 8 and 9 cleanroom production space.
The second expansion stage includes a completely new 110,000 ft.2 plant being built near Atlanta Regional Airport. Approximately 1.6 miles from the first production site, this facility will have an additional 77,500 ft.2 of class 9 cleanroom production space and its own automated high-bay warehouse. Construction will begin following preparatory work for the access road and supply infrastructure. Over the course of 2025, production and assembly lines will be installed, with manufacturing scheduled to start toward the end of 2025. This new site features space for future expansions.
Peachtree produces inhalers, components for infusion sets, microinjectors, test cards for microbiological tests and autoinjectors, which can be used in diabetes and obesity therapy, among other areas. In the first quarter of 2024, Gerresheimer’s Plastics & Devices Division generated revenues of €258.4 million, up nearly 14% and led by demand for drug delivery systems such as syringes, pens and inhalers. The company has eight U.S. locations, split evenly between plastics and glass production. The Centor division makes plastic containers and vials for prescription drugs, as well as closure systems, PET bottles, applicators and droppers. Centor has a new primary packaging plastics plant in Berlin, Ohio, with headquarters in Perrysburg, Ohio, and another plastic packaging plant in Millersburg, Ohio.
Across two stages, Gerresheimer is investing $180 million to build and equip expansions in Peachtree City, Georgia. Source: Gerresheimer
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