Corning recently announced the signing of a joint venture agreement with Bengbu Innovation Venture Capital Co., Ltd. in Bengbu City, China. The newly established Corning Pharmaceutical Glass Co., Ltd. belongs to the Corning Pharmaceutical Technology business portfolio.
This government and social capital collaboration has enhanced Corning's glass packaging manufacturing capabilities and further strengthened the company's ability to meet regional and global customer needs.
The joint venture will build an advanced manufacturing plant in Bengbu City, Anhui Province. The new plant will produce 20,000 tons of high-quality borosilicate glass tubes for the global pharmaceutical packaging market each year.
Professor Tu Jiasheng, member of the National Pharmacopoeia Committee and executive member (director of the Committee on Pharmaceutical Excipients and Packaging Materials), said: "The localized production of high-quality medicinal glass tubes in China responds to the national policy on the consistent evaluation of the quality and efficacy of generic drugs. To provide domestic pharmaceutical companies with faster and more cost-effective raw materials for pharmaceutical glass packaging, better meet the local customers' demand for high-quality Class I borosilicate medical glass tube production capacity, promote the safety of people’s medicine, and also promote the Policy-led industrial upgrading."
The factory is expected to be officially put into production in the third quarter of 2021, which will bring about 200 jobs to Bengbu.
"The Chinese pharmaceutical market is in an unprecedented period of innovation and growth. Corning is pleased to work hand in hand with Bengbu Innovation Ventures Co., Ltd. to supply high-quality medicinal glass for the Chinese market. The preparation of the new factory is based on Corning's rooted manufacturing in the region The strong background fully demonstrates our commitment to innovation and growth in the pharmaceutical and life sciences markets," said Ron Verkleeren, senior vice president and general manager of Corning’s life sciences technology market business group.