Pharmaceutical Business review

Merck’s EMD Millipore opens biomanufacturing sciences and training center in Japan

The new facility is designed to help biopharmaceutical companies develop manufacturing processes and find solutions to processing challenges in collaboration with engineers from EMD.

EMD Millipore president and chief executive officer Udit Batra said: "We recognize that our customers in Japan face tremendous pressure to reduce development costs and identify production efficiencies. The new BSTC is designed to recreate an actual manufacturing environment allowing customers to operate equipment, evaluate processes and conduct training.

"Our goal for this facility, now the ninth of its kind for EMD Millipore, is to enhance the customer experience by delivering innovation, quality products, and comprehensive technological support – all major components of our product and service portfolio offering."

The new facility in Japan features a Pilot Scale Zone that is equipped with EMD’s Mobius series of single-use components for everything from culture to filtration and purification. This allows for complete demonstration testing from upstream to downstream processes.

A Process Development and Application Test Zone is also included for various types of testing for process development and optimization, a Seminar & Training Zone, and a Gallery Zone with displays of EMD products.

EMD has BSTC facilities located in nine major regions including Japan, the US, Germany, France, Singapore, China, South Korea, India and Brazil.