CDMO’S CAPACITY GROWS GLOBALLY
Global contract development & manufacturing organization (CDMO) CordenPharma has begun to deliver on its over $1 billion promise. Last year, the manufacturer announced plans to significantly grow its small, medium and large peptide production facilities in the U.S. and Europe and has just announced a $530.9 million investment at Getec Park in Muttenz, Switzerland. CordenPharma will construct a new peptide manufacturing facility, featuring small-to-large scale Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS) reactors, which will support GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 peptide projects. Total SPPS reactor capacity at the site will be 5,000 liters. “We are excited to announce the construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant just outside Basel, Switzerland, within one of the leading pharma and biotech hubs in Europe,” said CordenPharma Group President and CEO Dr. Michael Quirmbach. The facility will begin operations in early 2028, creating 300 new jobs. Meanwhile in the U.S., the company has simultaneously begun expansions of its Boulder, Colorado, peptide manufacturing site and construction of a new greenfield production area. Once complete, SPPS reactor capacity at the Colorado site will increase to over 42,000 liters.
JABIL CONNECTS TO INDIA
Florida-based electronics manufacturer Jabil will establish a $125 million silicon photonics manufacturing facility over 8,500 miles away in Gujarat, India. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government and announced the new project at the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association Vision Summit held last week. The green light for the project will allow Jabil to begin work at the site, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. “Today’s shifting business landscape has accelerated the need for enterprises to adapt to uncertainties and volatile market conditions,” said Jabil Executive Vice President, Global Business Units Matt Crowley. “Given the diversity of our business and the connected systems powering our network of factories around the globe, this strategic expansion is an example of how Jabil is well positioned to navigate and implement solutions that best serve the needs of our customers.” The MoU includes plans to explore a post-wafer fabrication silicon photonics facility with advanced co-packaged optics capabilities. This will be Jabil’s second location in India, where the company has been operating in the state of Maharashtra for over 22 years.
Photo courtesy of Saudi Aramco
NEW JV NEARS COMPLETION ON PROJECT IN NORTHEAST CHINA
The fully integrated refining and petrochemical complex joint venture between Saudi Aramco, NORINCO Group and Panjin Sincen, named Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Co., is nearing completion in China’s coastal Liaoning province. The $11.5 billion facility, announced in 2019, is located in the city of Panjin, and will house a 300,000-barrel-per-day refinery with a 1.5 million-metric-tons-per-annum (mmtpa) ethylene cracker and a 1.3-mmtpa PX unit. Last week, it was announced that the JV finished the largest single unit of the project, a 4,366-ton aromatics complex. Construction on the project began in 2023. Now over 60% finished, the complex is on track to become operational in 2026. Petrochemical feedstock produced at the site is key for downstream products like plastics, synthetic fibers and resins. “Our participation in the integrated refining and petrochemical project in Panjin will strengthen our collaborative efforts to enhance energy security, revitalize key growth sectors and industries in Liaoning and also meet rising demand for products and goods in China’s Northeast region,” said Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser at the time of the project’s announcement in 2019.
Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore
