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03/29/2007
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| Lonza and Bio*One Capital celebrate the groundbreaking of their second manufacturing facility in Singapore |
Singapore, 29 March 2007 – Lonza Group (SWX:LONN) and Bio*One Capital broke ground for their large-scale commercial mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility at Tuas Biomedical Park today. This will be the second large-scale mammalian manufacturing plant in Singapore, and the third one globally that Lonza has built.
The event was officiated by Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry. Joining the guest of honor for the breaking of ground were Dr Stephan Kutzer, Chairman of Lonza Biologics Tuas Pte Ltd, Swiss Ambassador Dr Daniel Woker, Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman of A*STAR and Ms Chu Swee Yeok, Chief Executive Officer of Bio*One Capital Pte Ltd.
In his welcome address to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr Stephan Kutzer, Chairman of Lonza Biologics Tuas Pte Ltd, said: “In line with Lonza’s strategy to develop its capabilities and expand the biopharmaceuticals business in the fast-growing Asian market, this facility marks an important milestone as Lonza reinforces its leading position as a global custom manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals. The facility will operate with cutting-edge technology and a skilled labor force and will be able to manufacture products with a wide array of processes, yields and technologies. This second Lonza facility in Singapore will meet the needs of a variety of customers and will address the growing global biologics demand.”
The construction of the Lonza Biologics Tuas shell, in the first phase, was initiated last month. The final build-out of the facility, will be completed and become fully operational, at the latest in 2011, in line with customer commitments. Depending upon customer request, the capital investment could amount up to US$350 million. Lonza Biologics Tuas Pte Ltd will have up to four mammalian bioreactor trains, each with a flexible capacity of 1,000 up to 20,000 liters and is inclusive of the respective purification units.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, said: “I am very pleased that Lonza has decided to expand its biologics manufacturing base in Singapore. This strategic partnership between Lonza and Bio*One has helped to build the biologics manufacturing capabilities and grow a critical mass of biologics activities in Singapore. Within a period of less than two years, four commercial scale biologics manufacturing investments have been announced in Singapore. All these projects are a strong endorsement of Singapore as a choice site to host world class biologics manufacturing activities.”
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world’s leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences industries. Its products and services extend through its customers’ supply chain needs, from research and development to final product manufacture. Lonza is the global leader in the production and technical support of pharmaceutical active ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides and niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is also a leading provider of value added chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agrochemical and personal care markets.
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange. In 2006, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.91 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
About Bio*One Capital
Bio*One Capital Pte Ltd is a leading, dedicated biomedical sciences investment management company in Asia with a worldwide presence. With funds of over US$ 600 million, investments are focused on promising and innovative global biomedical companies where Bio*One Capital can play a value adding role in bridging and supporting companies’ growth strategies in Asia through their operations in Singapore.
A part of the Singapore Economic Development Board, Bio*One Capital oversees a portfolio of over 60 companies in the US, Europe, Singapore and Asia. For more information, please visit www.bio1capital.com
For further information:
Investor / Media Relations Lonza
Margot Connor
Tel +41 61 316 8253
Fax +41 61 316 9253
margot.connor@lonza.com
Media Relations Lonza
Dominik Werner
Tel +41 61 316 8798
Fax +41 61 316 9253
dominik.werner@lonza.com
Bio*One Capital
Sheo S. Rai
Tel + 65-6395-7784
Fax +65-6395-7797
sheo_shanker_rai@bmsg.gov.sg
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