Adcock Ingram opens integrated manufacturing plant

The factory, which employs 689 people, is the only integrated medical-grade plastics and pharmaceutical manufacturing facility on the continent.

The upgrade of machinery and equipment at the Critical Care Factory saw Adcock Ingram for the first time attaining compliance with the international Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Co-operation Scheme Standards, jointly referred to as PIC/S.

"This upgrade has ensured that this facility operates to world-class standards, at optimum efficiency through a labour-intensive process," the company's CEO, Dr Jonathan Louw, said.

Capacity at the plant had not significantly increased, and currently did not need to because of no further demand, but the factory had space to considerably increase production if needed, Dr Louw said.

Speaking at the event, the MEC of Economic Development, Qedani Mahlangu, said that she was happy with the company's decision in 2009 to upgrade the facility, at a time when the future of the economy was uncertain.

Mahlangu said that it was important for the government to support local manufacturers and that the pharmaceutical industry was being included in preferential procurement policies.

Dr Louw said that plans announced by the government to build SA's first active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) plant, in a joint venture with Swiss company Lonza, was an example of where a public-private partnership was an essential undertaking and the government was needed to step in as an investment of that magnitude would not be feasible for private companies acting alone.

Dr Louw said that more public-private partnerships in SA would be possible and beneficial.