Sirio Europe has announced the completion of a major overhaul of its Brandenburg site with advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
The company has installed HVAC systems, individual drying chambers, vegetarian softgel manufacturing equipment and a block heat & power plant.
“One of the reasons behind the investments was that we wanted to be at the forefront of implementing greener solutions and energy-efficient manufacturing for our pharma customers. So while implementing new equipment, we also explored how we can improve the plant’s sustainability,” said Dominique Baum, Managing Director at Sirio Europe
The HVAC systems increase the plant’s manufacturing capacity while reducing the risk of product contamination. By using only individual drying chambers, the company can control the temperature of individual products, which is more energy-efficient and improves the softgel drying process. The vegetarian softgel manufacturing line has been installed – transferring technology from Sirio’s Guangzhou plant – in response to the growing demand for plant-based nutraceuticals.
The site upgrades will be supported by an block heat & power station, which the company estimates to increase power output by up to 50% through combined heat and power (CHP). The technology captures and recycles heat into thermal energy to power the manufacturing equipment.
Baum said: “Installing the heat block & power station is a huge business benefit in terms of reducing energy consumption. For example, softgel production uses a lot of energy as strict parameters need to be adhered to – through CHP we can now manufacture softgels at a lower cost. But installing the heat block was also the right thing to do in terms of looking at ways to make manufacturing as sustainable as possible”.
Sirio says it exclusively sources ingredients from certified, sustainable suppliers, and are members of a number of certified sustainability groups, including the Friends of the Sea (part of the World Sustainability Organisation) and Marine Stewardship Council.
