FDBusiness.com

SternMaid, the German company specialising in customised solutions for blending, processing and filling powdered foods, food supplements and active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients, has officially opened the extension to its Wittenburg plant. After completion of this eighth phase of construction, in which the company has invested Eur14 million, SternMaid now employs a staff of 180; making it one of the biggest employers in the region. And there are still prospects of further growth. With the recent extension, SternMaid is entering a new business field and will in future be able to produce for the pharmaceutical industry as well as offering new products for the food sector.

With its latest investment, SternMaid is entering the realm of fluid bed technology, which permits a specific influence on the physical properties of solid products and their applications. Powders are dried, granulated, agglomerated or coated, depending on the intended application, and thus acquire a tailor-made profile. “Fluid-bed technology is one of the most important formulation methods in the pharmaceutical and food industries. With this versatile technology we will be able to enter new markets with a promising future,” explains SternMaid’s managing director Stefan Schliesser.

Two fluid-bed processors with different capacities form the basis of this new field of applications. A laboratory-scale pilot plant is available for test runs for developing and optimizing new functional ingredients. Commercial-scale production is then carried out in a multi-purpose industrial unit.

The focus of the plant is on applications in the pharmaceutical and health-care industries. In the case of the pharmaceutical industry, SternMaid has recently added to its specific range of services. For example, the counter-current container blending line that came into service in 2009 primarily for blending vitamin compounds has been qualified retrospectively and is now officially certified according to Part II of the EU GMP Guide.

The fluid-bed unit is to be GMP-certified for pharmaceutical applications too. “On our counter-current container blending line we can already mix, process and fill active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients according to the most stringent regulations. With the fluid-bed unit we are extending our offer to include the segments drying, granulation, agglomeration and coating”, says Stefan Schliesser, describing the wider range of services. “It will enable us to present ourselves to the pharmaceutical industry as an outsourcing partner with an even more comprehensive spectrum.”

With the latest extension to the factory, SternMaid will be excellently equipped for new orders from its customers. The buildings now cover a total area of over 16,000 sq m. Blending capacities have been increased to 40,000 tonnes per year, and the enlarged high-bay warehouse accommodates 20,000 pallets. To facilitate procedures, a new incoming goods area and a larger area for small packs have been created. And the 50,000 sq m site still offers room for further expansion.