Fujifilm in Tilburg will produce cell culture media
New production facility at FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V.
One of the Fujifilm plants is converted into a production facility for the production of cell culture media for the biopharmaceutical industry. FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V. announces this today. The first construction works have started and production is expected to start in the second half of 2021. This is expected to create 50 to 70 jobs.
In June 2018, FUJIFILM Corporation acquired the company FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc. This company has been a global leader in the development and production of cell culture media since 1970 and currently has manufacturing facilities in the United States and Japan. There is a need to expand with a third production facility in Europe and this will be located in Tilburg.
Cell culture media provide nutrients so that cells can grow in a bioreactor or in a lab. The products, in solid and liquid form, will be produced according to the regulations of the quality assurance system eem cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice), required by the pharmaceutical and other industries.
President Peter Struik: "The production of cell culture media is a complex technological process, which requires precision engineering and a high level of quality awareness. At Fujifilm Tilburg we have this production expertise, the facilities and a good infrastructure. This was a good combination and we are pleased to contribute to the biopharmaceutical industry by supplying high quality products."
Yutaka Yamaguchi, CEO, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific: "The biopharmaceutical market is growing rapidly. FUJIFILM Irvine's current capacity is more than 1,000,000 Kg/year of dry powder, but it is imperative that we are able to meet both global demand and the requests of European customers. Building a third world-class GMP manufacturing facility as a European hub will enable us to better provide our customers with fast and reliable product delivery."