Clariant adds desiccant packet capability at Cuddalore site

Chemical Weekly: The Clariant Healthcare Packaging business unit is now producing desiccant packets at its plant in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. The addition expands the range of desiccant products immediately available to customers in the region and increases global capacity.

The plant now manufactures both Continu-Strip continuous-roll desiccant packets and individually cut desiccant packets in a full range of sizes. Both types of these packets can be manufactured to pharmaceutical customer requirements using a choice of desiccants – Sorb-It Silica gel, Tri-Sorb molecular sieve, Getter Pak activated carbon, or 2-in-1 Pak combinations – in sizes that meet specific container or shelf-life requirements.

The Cuddalore facility continues to manufacture rigid desiccant canisters, which are inserted into pharmaceutical containers to protect contents from moisture damage. These are also available in a range of sizes, offering the same desiccant options.

“By adding the capability to produce two new lines of desiccant packets in India, Clariant Healthcare Packaging becomes a more comprehensive pharmaceutical desiccant supplier for pharmaceutical manufacturers in India and throughout the region,” said Mr. Gautam Arora, Head of Healthcare Sales India. Mr. Arora explained that the investment by Clariant for additional Cuddalore site capacity was influenced by positive market response to canister desiccants produced at the site since it opened in 2017. Throughout that time, the Cuddalore plant has been ISO 15378 GMP certified, signifying that its quality management system is compliant with manufacturing regulations and standards for primary pharmaceutical packaging.

Full range of solutions

The newly expanded plant, together with a nationwide sales team based in Mumbai and Hyderabad, enable Clariant Healthcare Packaging to offer Indian customers a full range of protective packaging solutions including desic-cants, tubes and desiccant stoppers, Oxy-Guard multi-layer barrier bottles, oxygen scavengers, EQius humidity regulators, and Advanced Desiccant Polymer (ADP).

The Cuddalore site is part of Clariant Healthcare Packaging’s global network of five production plants that also include Changshu and Dongguan, China; Romorantin, France; and Belen, New Mexico, USA. All five of these plants now produce desiccant packets, offering the manufacturing redundancy needed to further support customer business continuity planning (BCP) requirements.