Saltigo nearly doubles capacity for active ingredient precursor

Saltigo, a wholly owned subsidiary of German speciality chemicals group Lanxess, has nearly doubled capacity for an active ingredient precursor for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer without needing to halt or interrupt the production process.

The project involved raising the output of a plant in Leverkusen from 30 to 50 metric tons a year.

Dr Carsten Hesse, head of manufacturing strategy in Saltigo's pharma business, said: "It was absolutely essential to maintain reliable supplies of the product for our customer during the expansion phase. Because this project involved a complex, multi-step synthesis with very tight specifications and high quality requirements, it needed accurate planning. The new connections and the re-routing of the apparatus were prepared so precisely that the output of the overall chain was not interrupted."

The measures speeded up the analytical procedures accompanying the process and nearly doubled capacity, the company said.