Plant Tours

Tuesday, 23 March

(A)-Boehringer Ingelheim, Bidachem SpA
SS 11 (Padana Superiore) 8
24040 Fornovo
San Giovanni (BG)

Boehringer Ingelheim, Bidachem is one of the major manufacturers of fine chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Italy. The company became an affiliate of the German pharmaceutical Boehringer Ingelheim Group (144 affiliates in 47 countries) in 1982 and since then has been the centre of Boehringer's Italian operations producing APIs and intermediates for affiliated companies and also third- arty customers. In 2008, it produced 1,019 tons (502 intermediate products and 517 finished products), with a turnover of around 71.5 million euros in 2008 and an export rate of 85 percent. The site is ISO 9001 certified and is complemented by a state-of-the-art development laboratory and a pilot plant for the production of trial quantities of pharmaceutical precursors. Bidachem follows a lean organisation concept with a flexible, three-shift-system which is geared to rapid production changeovers. The plant is capable of most kinds of common chemical reactions including bromination, pressure hydrogenation and some specialised reactions.

(B)-Roche SpA
Via Morelli 2
20090 Segrate

Located in an industrial area approximately 9km East of Milan, Italy, the Segrate manufacturing site is a centre of excellence for the production of tablets, film coated tablets, capsules and packaging. In Segrate several different formulations are manufactured, including solids and liquids in the form of drops, to cover worldwide market needs. The facility has reached its peak output of 1,000 tons of solid medicines and 75 million finished packs. Apart from its ability to supply EU markets, Segrate is also FDA approved to supply the USA. The site also supplies products to Chugai, Japan, as well as to other world markets. The Segrate plant is one of Roche’s most modern facilities and was built from 1990 to 1998. Before, production in Italy took place for 25 years in the city of Milan (Piazza Durante). Today, about 310 people are working on the Segrate campus.