Freudenberg expands its biopharma product portfolio to include custom single-use assemblies
Freudenberg Medical has added custom single-use assemblies to the silicone extrusion and molding services it already provides
Freudenberg Medical revealed on August 1, 2024, that it has added custom single-use assemblies to its line of biopharma products. These will be combined with the company's silicone extrusion and molding skills. Some of the new products are single-use Y-connector manifolds, tubing assemblies, and bottle cap assemblies with multiple inlets and outputs. The company said in a press release that bottlecap assemblies with Y-connector tubing are widely used in labs and current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) bioprocesses for important fluid transfer tasks.
The assemblies are made in a laboratory based on what the customer wants. One of the benefits of Y-connector overmolds is that they let fluid move freely through a key path and can stop leaks from happening. Freudenberg says it is usual for standard fluid couplings, fittings, and connectors to leak. The company said in a press release that consistently overmolding Y-manifolds on customer-specified tube ends would be possible thanks to "validated production processes with proven process capabilities."
The new biopharma products add to the company's PharmaFocus Premium line, which has platinum-cured, high-purity silicone tubes and sanitary ends for one-time use systems. Tubing, plastic parts, and systems made by the company are used in biotechnology, lab processes, GMP manufacturing, small batch processes, cell and gene therapy, and making messenger RNA, biosimilars, and regenerative proteins.
The company is also investing $50 million in a new Hemoteq AG production plant in Aachen, Germany, to help its coatings business grow. It is also investing $25 million to set up a manufacturing site in Costa Rica. Freudenberg said in June 2024 that it would be expanding its manufacturing base in Germany by adding a new 130,000-ft2 building in Alsdorf, which is close to the current site. The new building has ISO Class 7 cleanrooms, labs, and offices. It will be the center of production and research and development, and it will also help medical coats become more innovative.
The new facility in Costa Rica was announced in February 2024 and is set to open at the start of 2025. It will be used to manually put together large numbers of minimally invasive catheters for electrophysiology, vascular and structural heart therapies, and other medical devices that need to be put together with great accuracy. The 50,000-square-foot building that will house the three ISO-7 cleanrooms is part of the first step of construction. The business also plans to add another 50,000 ft2 to the site in the first three years after it opens. With this new building, Freudenberg will have a four times bigger presence in Costa Rica.
Mark Ostwald, CEO of Freudenberg Medical, said in a press release at the time, "The convergence of medical devices and drugs is inspiring a new generation of innovative products that fundamentally improve patients' outcomes." This was in reference to the growth of the company's site in Germany. With this investment in new ideas, we're strengthening our place as a strategic partner to our customers by providing solutions that are vertically integrated across the whole supply chain.
At the same time, Róger Gómez, vice-president and general manager of Freudenberg Medical in Costa Rica, said this about the expansion of the Costa Rica facility: "The investment in this new site shows Freudenberg Medical's confidence in Costa Rica as an important part of our global growth strategy." Our present staff of 300 people will triple in size over the next three years, reaching over 900. We are committed to diversity and equality, and we give everyone the same chances.
Source: Freudenberg Medical
