SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging, a business segment of the German SCHOTT Group, has announced that the company has begun building a new factory in Suzhou, China. The new production site will manufacture ampoules and vials for use by the pharmaceutical industry in China. The new factory will be integrated into the existing SCHOTT Glass Technology Company that was established in Suzhou in 2002. The company expects to begin production in July of 2006 with approximately 50 new employees.
 
To manufacture its products, the facility will use "SCHOTT Type 1" borosilicate glass, a high quality tubing glass that complies with international standards (USP, EP, and JP). In recent years, this particular glass type has met with a strong increase in demand in China. At the new site, the complete range of ampoules and vials that the Chinese market currently demands will be manufactured. According to SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging, all of these products will satisfy the highest international requirements for pharmaceutical primary packaging made of glass.
 
The plant will be built in accordance with the standard concept that SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging production sites follow on a global basis. It will be equipped with state of the art production equipment and visual inspection systems, operate in a clean room environment and comply with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) that are currently valid. The new production site will benefit from the expertise that other SCHOTT plants all over the world have to offer and will cooperate closely with these sites. In addition, the factory in China will have access to the resources that Europe's largest R&D center for special glasses, another SCHOTT facility, has to offer.
 
By opening the new site, SCHOTT Pharmaceutical Packaging has now become the very first international manufacturer of primary pharmaceutical packaging made of glass to establish a production site in China. According to the company, the move clearly documents that the company is very interested in the fast developing Chinese market for injectable pharmaceuticals. With a production facility for world class products located at the doorstep of both current and future customers, SCHOTT hopes to bring tangible advantages, such as fast delivery times, local customer support and consulting without language barriers in technical matters, as well as full support from SCHOTT's global network in meeting specific requirements.