Minafin's Contract Manufacturing Division to Expand Capacity at French Site

Minakem, the contract manufacturing division of France-based Minafin, specialised in custom development and manufacturing of building blocks, intermediates and APIs for the pharmaceutical industry, has initiated the extension of its manufacturing capacity at its Dunkirk site in France.

The Euro 14.5-mn ($18-mn) investment from parent company Minafin will enable it to set up a new production line, increasing production capacity by 28-m3. In parallel, existing production assets are being upgraded in order to increase flexibility. This will free up an additional 26m3 production volume. In total, the production volume at the Dunkirk site will increase by 54m3 to a total capacity of 148m3.

The engineering phase has already started on the site; a former AstraZeneca facility that Minakem bought in 2009. Commission tests are planned for early 2019, with an expected operational starting date in May 2019. A previous investment of Euro 1.5-mn ($1.9-mn) was made by Minafin in 2016 to ensure continuous flow manufacturing and increased capacity in cryogenic production.