Boehringer opens €120m facility to meet half of global demand for Respimat

Boehringer Ingelheim invested €120m ($134m) in the construction of the plant, which was begun in 2017 and was constructed in only two years through ‘fast track’ planning. This will see the plant become fully operational at the end of this year.

According to the company, 300 people were involved in the planning process and 25 different suppliers participated, enabling construction to be completed rapidly.

The 183,000-square-foot facility will create 200 new jobs in the Sant Cugat del Vallés, a town located outside of Barcelona, Spain.

The site is separated into production facilities, laboratories, warehouse space, offices and technical areas.

Boehringer will produce Respimat (tiotropium bromide) at the plant, with the space able to meet demand for more than half of the annual sales of the product, at 25 million units per year.

Respimat is an inhaler product that is used for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

Prior to this investment, Boehringer had primarily produced the product in Germany, where the company had previously concentrated its spending​.

Peter Ploeger, CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, said in a statement that the facility is a ‘world benchmark’, in terms of the capabilities, and will function as one of the company’s ‘innovation hubs’.

The facility will utilise Industry 4.0 technology, which sees the facility be fitted with serialization processes, automation, and robotics.

Reyes Maroto, acting Minister of Industry of Industry, Trade and Tourism for Spain, welcomed the ‘demonstration of confidence’ in the country and its workforce to staff the facility. In addition, Boehringer stated that it had made an R&D investment of €86.1m Spain during the course of 2018.

The move stands in contrast to the news last year that Boehringer would reduce headcount in neighbouring France, where 327 positions were cut​.