Boehringer Ingelheim celebrated the inauguration of its new “ Center of Competence” (CoC) in Shanghai. As part of the company’s EUR 100 million expansion project in China, the CoC entails an investment of EUR 10 million and will specialise in optimising active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and chemical intermediates procured in China. So far, more than 20 highly-qualified organic and analytical chemists have been recruited for the CoC.

“This reinforces our company’s determination and commitment to continue investing in China,” said Prof. Wolfram Carius, member of the board of managing directors of Boehringer Ingelheim and responsible for the Board Division Human Resources and Operations. “ We attach great importance to the exchange with our Chinese partners. We have a long-term commitment to this market and we are driving innovation in the country’s pharmaceutical industry.”

The new CoC consists of the two departments Process Development (PD) and Quality Control (QC). The main functions of PD are to focus on the production process optimisation and the corresponding technology transfer to the company’s partners within China in order to increase the production efficiency and precision.

David Preston, chief executive officer of Boehringer Ingelheim China, said: “The inauguration of CoC is a milestone for Boehringer Ingelheim’s development in China. By optimising the production process of our partners and securing the quality of the intermediates, China will play a stronger role in the company’s global procurement efforts.”

In 2009, the company announced a EUR 100 million expansion plan in China to expand its production capacity in Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Park and to set up the centre of competence which is now being opened.

The laboratories of CoC are currently located at Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Pudong, Shanghai. It covers an area of about 2,000 square meters. The CoC has been tested since May 2010 and is scheduled to be officially in operation in September 2010.

Boehringer Ingelheim set up its China branch office in March 1994. A year later, Boehringer Ingelheim International Trade (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. was registered. In 1995, Boehringer Ingelheim Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Ltd. was established. In 2002, the company set up its production plant in Shanghai Zhangjiang High-tech Park. It has introduced a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that strictly follows international GMP standards. Currently, the company has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu with around 2,000 employees.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 142 affiliates in 50 countries and more than 41,500 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed for 125 years to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.