Pharmacy at the highest level

Image credit: Rentschler Fill Solutions / Patrick Säly Photography

With Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH, the first Vorarlberg-based biopharmaceutical company has settled in the Rankweil industrial area Römergrund. The service company specializes in the aseptic filling and freeze-drying of biopharmaceutical products. "We are a pure contract manufacturer, committed to the safe production of sterile medicines and offer optimal solutions for our customers in the biopharmaceutical industry," explain the managing directors Harald Henninger and Reinhold Elsässer. To meet the highest customer demands, investments of around 30 million euros are required. This fall, the office spaces in the new building were occupied, and the highly modern production areas are planned to be operational by summer 2018. "We are very satisfied with the progress of the project; currently, the systems are being tested and operational preparations are underway. To guarantee germ-free filling later on, high safety standards and intensive inspections by AGES (Agency for Health and Nutrition Safety, Vienna) are necessary. Particular attention must be paid to strict compliance with local and international quality standards," emphasize the project managers. 

Production Facility as the Heart

The filling of medicines takes place in a pharmaceutical cleanroom. "With the new building, we were able to optimally tailor the cleanroom, the production equipment, and the pharmaceutical processes to our requirements. The necessary ultrapure water supply, as well as the remaining building, were adapted to optimize utility and pathways. Thus, the cleanroom is not only symbolically the heart of the company but also structurally," explains Harald Henninger. Working in a cleanroom must not be underestimated, as employees need to be continuously focused and attentive when handling active pharmaceutical ingredients. In the medium term, a two-shift operation is planned to produce and package up to 3.5 million glass injection vials annually, with fill volumes ranging from 0.1 to 50 ml, on schedule. The promising biopharmaceutical active ingredients are used, for example, in cancer therapy or for respiratory diseases.

Regional Value Creation

Customers are supplied worldwide, with regional roots being of great importance to the managing directors. "In addition to well-trained and reliable employees, we find very good suppliers in the region. This is very important to us both during the construction phase and later in production. That’s why Vorarlberg is a very suitable location for Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH," says Reinhold Elsässer. Around 50 employees from the pharmaceutical and related industries, as well as administration, will be working at the start of production. By 2020, the workforce is expected to grow to about 100 people at the Rankweil site.