German packaging products company Gerresheimer is set to add a syringe production hall at its site in Skopje, North Macedonia, where it produces plastic systems for the pharmaceutical industry.

The company is investing over €100m ($105m) in the construction and equipment of the new building, which will add approximately 7,600m² of production space.

The new factory hall will manufacture syringes and other primary packaging made from tubular glass, including good manufacturing practice class C and D clean rooms.

This investment in the Skopje plant’s expansion is set to double the number of employees at the site from approximately 250 to 500 within the next three to five years.

The initial syringe production lines in Skopje are expected to start by the end of this year, with additional lines to be added by 2025.

Gerresheimer CEO Dietmar Siemssen said: "Combining production capacities for plastic and glass at one location for the efficient production of integrated solutions for the pharma industry is a further step in the implementation of our corporate strategy formula g.

"As a systems and solutions provider, our customers receive individually tailored, fully integrated solutions. In the future, for example, we will also supply ready-to-fill syringe systems from Skopje."

The new production hall is a key project in Gerresheimer's global capacity expansion for drug delivery systems and syringes under long-term customer contracts.

Gerresheimer is concentrating on syringe production at its sites in Bünde, Germany, Querétaro, Mexico, and Skopje.

Since 2019, Gerresheimer has been manufacturing drug delivery systems and diagnostic and medical plastic products in Skopje.

The site includes International Organization for Standardization class 7, 8, and 9 clean rooms and produces syringe accessories such as the Gerresheimer Gx TELC syringe closure system and the Gx InnoSafe safety system.

The Skopje plant's extension allows for the combination of pharmaceutical plastic and glass product capacities, offering efficient production and optimised logistics.

The company partnered with Stevanato and SCHOTT Pharma this September to accelerate the market adoption of ready-to-use vials and cartridges.

A month later, Gerresheimer announced adding a 2.3MWp solar rooftop to boost green energy at Momignies, Belgium.