Gerresheimer has now started the production of components for a new order of insulin pens from healthcare company Sanofi. Preparations for the production – including the construction of a new production hall at Gerresheimer’s facility in Horšovský Týn, Czech Republic, as well as all required qualifications and validations – were completed within only 18 months.
The structural components for the disposable insulin pen manufactured in the new hall consist of several plastic parts that were manufactured by Gerresheimer at Medical Plastic Systems, and a bought-in bending spring. The final pen assembly is carried out at Sanofi’s facility in Frankfurt/Main in Germany.
The production and assembly of the structural components involves injection moulding machines, removal robots and different measuring and testing systems as well as pad printing lines.
The complex and highly automated assembly line with several assembly and testing stations was planned and installed entirely by Gerresheimer Medical Plastic Systems. The specialist also developed several of the required moulds. These were manufactured by the in-house mould engineering department.
A new hall with 3,500m2 cleanroom areas to ISO class 8 for production and assembly as well as a fully automatic high-rack storage facility was built especially for this project.
For Carsten Dormeier, Project Manager at the Technical Competence Center of Gerresheimer Regensburg in Wackersdorf, Germany, the adherence to the extremely tight schedule is the most impressive achievement of the project: 'We were able to adhere to the ambitious schedule of this extensive project from the start of the planning phase in Wackersdorf through to production start-up in Horšovský Týn thanks to the commitment of our staff at both facilities,' he said.
The new project is the second Sanofi order for the production of insulin pens from Gerresheimer. Reusable pens are already manufactured at the company’s Pfreimd facility.
