The Mumbai-based ACG Worldwide, a global multifaceted group of companies focussed on solid dosage form delivery, has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Germany-based Korsch AG to develop and produce tablet compression systems in India for marketing them at a substantially lower cost.

As per the agreement ACG-PAM, the flagship engineering company of ACG Worldwide will get the design from the Korsch and will manufacture the machines in its own facility. With this, the company will be able to supply tablet compression systems with advanced German technology at affordable prices, according to the company officials. The JV with ACG Worldwide will open up the Asia-Pacific pharma machinery market to Korsch.

Speaking on the development, Karan Singh, director of ACG-PAM, said, “The JV products are expected to storm the world pharma markets. For the first time a global brand name and advanced German design and reliability in tablet presses will be made available at affordable costs in India.” Plans are to launch the first machine under the JV at the CPHI/P-MEC exhibition in Mumbai in December 2009, while the commercial production is expected to commence from January 2010.

Stephan Mies, managing director of Korsch, said, “We are delighted to find a partner with a global outlook that understands how to successfully manufacture complex equipments in India. ACG shares with us the same values – quality, innovation, customer service and fairplay.” The JV will help both the companies to expand their global presence by establishing worldwide sales channels and offices and will strengthen their position in the most sold after equipment in pharma industry – the tabletting machines.

Korsch is a world leader in tablet presses while ACG-PAM has proven strength in highly skilled workforce, mass production facilities, and several thousand installations worldwide, especially pharma capsule fillers. ACG Worldwide already has manufacturing partnerships with Glatt, Alcan and Theegarten Pactec of Germany, Honeywell of USA and Proditec of France.

The company offers a complete range of pharma solid dosage equipments and consumables, including fluid bed processors, capsule fillers, tablet presses, blister packing and cartoning machines, case packers, tablet tooling and camera inspection systems. The group has also installed the world’s second largest manufacturing capacity of two-piece empty capsules and a wide range of blister packing films.