SternMaid, a member of the Stern-Wywiol Grupp, has officially opened the extension to its Wittenburg plant. After completion of this eighth phase of construction, in which the company has invested €14 million, SternMaid now employs 180 pople making it, said the company, one of the biggest employers in the region.
The company said that there are still prospects of further growth as the recent extension allows SternMaid to enter new businesses, producing for the pharmaceutical industry as well as offering new products for the food sector.
The Wittenburg company specialises in customised solutions for blending, processing and filling powdered foods, food supplements and active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients. The plant was established in 1998, originally as a production facility for the companies of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe based in Hamburg.
However, the Wittenburg factory no longer produces solely for the various units within the group, which specialises in functional ingredients for food and animal feed worldwide. SternMaid says that it is now much in demand as a contract manufacturer in the international food market as a result of the constant enlargement of its capacity.
With its latest investment, SternMaid is entering the realm of fluid bed technology, which permits a specific influence on the physical properties of solid products and their applications. Powders are dried, granulated, agglomerated or coated, depending on the intended application, and thus acquire a tailor-made profile.
“Fluid-bed technology is one of the most important formulation methods in the pharmaceutical and food industries,” said SternMaid’s managing director Stefan Schliesser. “With this versatile technology we will be able to enter new markets with a promising future.”
Two fluid-bed processors with different capacities form the basis of this new field of applications. A laboratory-scale pilot plant is available for test runs for developing and optimising new functional ingredients. Commercial-scale production is then carried out in a multi-purpose industrial unit.
The fluid-bed unit is to be GMP-certified for pharmaceutical applications too. “On our counter-current container blending line we can already mix, process and fill active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients according to the most stringent regulations,” continued Schliesser. “With the fluid-bed unit we are extending our offer to include the segments drying, granulation, agglomeration and coating. It will enable us to present ourselves to the pharmaceutical industry as an outsourcing partner with an even more comprehensive spectrum.”
SternMaid’s buildings now cover a total area of over 16,000 m². Blending capacities have been increased to 40,000 tonnes per year, and the enlarged high-bay warehouse accommodates 20,000 pallets. To facilitate procedures, a new incoming goods area and a larger area for small packs have been created.
