Cambrex completes expansion in Charles City

Staff Report

The $50-million state-of-the-art production and warehousing expansion at the Charles City Cambrex plant is complete, the company announced Tuesday.

Cambrex Corporation, the leading manufacturer of small molecule innovator and generic active pharmaceutical ingredients, said in a news release that the investment in “capacity and capabilities was made in reflection of strong market demand for small molecule APIs and high utilization of Cambrex’s existing large scale assets.”

The expansion project began in March 2015 and included hiring 42 new personnel by the end of the year, Vice President of Operations Joe Nettleton said in a phone call with the Press, bringing total personnel up to 370 employees.

“We’re excited to be a part of Charles City as a thriving and growing API manufacturer,” Nettleton said.

The new 7,500 square foot multi-purpose manufacturing facility adds several glass lined and Hastelloy reactors in a variety of sizes along with other equipment to enhance the facility’s manufacturing capabilities.

The 36,000 square foot warehouse provides general storage for 2,720 pallets and segregated refrigerated storage for 360 pallet spaces and features Distributed Control System monitoring and control for temperature and humidity. The facility employs a barcode system for automated bin location and has a dedicated sampling room with appropriate extraction and handling for flammable materials, the news release says.

Additionally, a 7,500 square foot manufacturing shell has been constructed which will be fitted out to customer specification.

“There is high demand for US based suppliers with large scale cGMP contract manufacturing capacity and world class quality systems,” Steve Klosk, CEO of Cambrex is quoted in the news release. “We have invested over $125 million at the Charles City site since we acquired it in 1991 and believe that this expansion, combined with a very talented and experienced team, provides an ongoing foundation for our customers’ small molecule product manufacturing needs while supporting our goal of bringing our customers’ products to market quickly.”

The facility is highly successful in the area, Executive Director Tim Fox of the Charles City Area Development Corporation said.

“It’s just another testimonial to the great work they’re doing there, and we’re very proud of them,” Fox told the Press. “We’re very appreciative that Cambrex chose to invest in Charles City.”

Cambrex’s Charles City facility sits on a 45-acre site and manufactures a wide range of APIs and pharmaceutical intermediates, including highly potent molecules and controlled substances. The facility is one of a limited number authorized by the US DEA to import narcotic raw materials at commercial scale.

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