Gerresheimer, an innovative system and solution provider and global partner for the pharma and biotech industry, has expanded the capacity of its small-batch production (SBP) area in Wackersdorf by removing a section of the high-bay warehouse and converting it to manufacturing space. The new small batch production sampling area— Wackersdorf measures 700 square meters and will be used to manufacture pre-series parts for assembly systems. The expansion is a further display of Gerresheimer’s far-reaching industrialization expertise in the manufacture of containment solutions, drug delivery systems, and medical devices.
Gerresheimer has taken a strategic step by expanding its Technical Competence Center and SBP facilities at the Wackersdorf location for the third time in just five years. The new 700 square meters Small Batch Production Sampling Area is where pre-series parts — samples used to set up manufacturing systems — can be produced at series quality. An area that previously housed a high-bay warehouse has been converted and equipped to meet the latest production standards.
Pre-series parts in documented series quality
“This is our response to the changing project environment, which involves a growing number of large-scale industrialization projects with many different tools and large machinery,” says Holger Heining, head of small batch production Gerresheimer Regensburg GmbH, Wackersdorf. “For their high-volume assembly systems, industrialization projects require a large quantity of pre-series parts in documented series quality at an early stage of the project cycle. With our new small batch production sampling area, we can now meet these demands and handle the rising number of large-scale industrialization projects in the best possible manner.”
Automatic tool handling
Unlike development projects, industrialization projects require automatic tool handling for high-volume manufacturing. The new area reflects these new parameters, featuring 10 injection molding machines with a clamping force of 175 to 420 metric tons.
A decade of small-batch production
Small-batch production at Wackersdorf in the Upper Palatinate region of Germany started exactly ten years ago. In 2013, the first injection molding machine and automation solutions at the location were installed in a small room. The setup proved to be a resounding success, kicking off a series of expansions to the facility. The first parts of the warehouse were converted to cleanroom production areas for injection molding and the assembly of plastic products in 2015. Three years later, in 2018, Gerresheimer invested an eight-digit figure in the construction of new grade C and grade D clean rooms and expanding its small-batch expertise to the glass sector.
In 2020 and 2021, the company made another eight-digit investment at the Wackersdorf location, this time focusing on plastics. By expanding the production area to 2,750 square meters in total, Gerresheimer responded to the growing number of projects that require smaller batches or a small quantity of pre-series products for development, approval, and industrialization purposes. The investment involved the construction of new office space but predominantly focused on creating ISO class 7 and 8 clean room facilities.
Wackersdorf now has 2,170 square meters of class 7 and 8 clean room production space, a 220 square-meter controlled area, and a 360 square-meter clean room for pharmaceutical glass products that meets GMP class C and D requirements.
Qualified staff wanted – over 40 new jobs created in Wackersdorf
Gerresheimer is continuing on its growth trajectory, and the Wackersdorf location is no exception. That’s why the highly motivated, dynamic team is looking for new faces in the shape of experienced experts, young talents, and trainees who are keen to use state-of-the-art approaches, systems, and methods to contribute to the success of the projects and the company as a whole. Gerresheimer intends to create over 40 new jobs in Wackersdorf over the coming months.
With a team of around 520 in Wackersdorf and a further 650 employees just 30 km away in Pfreimd, Gerresheimer is one of the larger employers in the region. Overall, the MDAX-listed company employs around 11,000 people worldwide.
