US pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems company West Pharmaceutical Services (Exton, Pennsylvania; www.westpharma.com) has broken ground on its new facility to be built at Knockhouse in Waterford / Ireland – see Plasteurope.com of 14.10.2014. The plant, which will produce packaging components for injectable drugs, will start operations in late 2018. By then, the company intends to employ around 150 people in engineering, production and other positions.

The 44-acre site has been cleared for construction and civil works will start in mid-July. The 8,800 m² facility will serve as a centre of excellence for West’s proprietary elastomeric sheeting, which is used to package insulin for use in pen injectors.

Capacity will also be available for additional proprietary injectable component product lines. Two key products will be “Westar” ready-to use (RU) components, which are delivered sterile to customers for aseptic filling operations, and “NovaPure”, West’s highest quality packaging line.

West’s CEO, Eric Green, commented: “Packaging systems play an important role in ensuring the purity, long-term stability and efficacy of injectable drug products. The advanced components that will be produced at our state-of-the-art Waterford plant will help our pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers deliver their products to patients.”

West also has a manufacturing and development centre in Mulhuddart, Dublin, where it recently completed a multimillion euro expansion. The group posted sales of USD 1.42 bn in 2014.