Sirio Europe, a European nutraceutical and pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and part of the Sirio group, has completed a major overhaul of its Brandenburg, Germany site with advanced manufacturing and green technologies. The company has installed new HVAC systems, individual drying chambers, vegetarian softgel manufacturing equipment and a block heat and power plant.
 
“One of the reasons behind the investments was that we wanted to be at the forefront of implementing greener solutions and energy-efficient manufacturing for our pharma customers,” said Dominique Baum, managing director, Sirio Europe. “So while implementing new equipment, we also explored how we can improve the plant’s sustainability.”
 
The HVAC systems increase the plant’s manufacturing capacity while further reducing the risk of product contamination. Similarly, by using only individual drying chambers, the company can control the temperature of individual products, which is more energy-efficient and improves the softgel drying process. Additionally, a new vegetarian softgel manufacturing line has been installed—transferring technology from Sirio’s Guangzhou plant—in response to the growing demand for plant-based nutraceuticals.
 
But in line with the company commitment to increased sustainability, the site upgrades will be supported by an energy-efficient block heat and power station, which is estimated to increase power output by up to 50% through combined heat and power (CHP). The technology captures and recycles heat, otherwise lost as waste, into thermal energy to power the new manufacturing equipment.
 
Baum said, “Installing the heat block and power station is a huge business benefit in terms of reducing energy consumption. For example, softgel production uses a lot of energy as strict parameters need to be adhered to—through CHP we can now manufacture softgels at a lower cost. But installing the heat block was also the right thing to do in terms of looking at ways to make manufacturing as sustainable as possible.”