B+K is focusing on growth

Insight into the expanded cleanroom production at Bischof + Klein

Bischof + Klein is focusing on growth in the market for high-purity packaging. With additional production cells in the ISO 5 cleanroom according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1 at rest, the Lengerich-based packaging and film specialist is responding to the increasing demand. "The need for cleanroom packaging is continuously growing," explains Sales Manager Georg Blom. The family-owned company Bischof + Klein, headquartered in Lengerich, is one of the few European manufacturers offering flexible packaging solutions for medical products and pharmaceuticals in this cleanroom class.

The cleanroom manufacturing facility in Lengerich has been expanded to 2,700 m². Connected to a new intermediate storage are the production cells, including a new module with a high-performance stamping machine. This machine produces single- and double-layer Tyvek® cover sheets for the disposable syringe industry. The adjacent packaging line allows for fully automatic initial repacking of the bundles. The closed cleanroom chain also includes lines for extruding polyethylene films, converting sacks and bags, and a laboratory. The personnel airlock has also been expanded. The number of specially trained employees in this area has increased by approximately 35 percent since early 2012.

In particular, medical products and pharmaceutical active substances and excipients require packaging manufactured in a germ- and particle-free environment. Accordingly, the demand for cleanroom packaging is rising. An example of this is the header bags. Bischof + Klein is the only supplier of this packaging solution for disposable syringes that produces in an ISO class 5 cleanroom. During manufacturing, this serves as protection for the high-purity components and allows sterilization of the filled product in the bag. Bischof + Klein expects further growth in demand. The closed cleanroom chain is modular, with space available for future phased expansion.