Page 160 - CW E-Magazine (5-8-2025)

News from Abroad

FOCUS ON ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS
GEA opens new food technology centre in US

GEA, the German industrial engi-
neering group focussed on food, beve-
rage and pharmaceutical sectors, has
opened a new Food Application and
Technology Centre (ATC) in Janes-
ville, Wisconsin, US. The $20-mn
facility is the company’s second global
Centre of Excellence dedicated to
alternative proteins and sustainable
food solutions as alternatives to tradi-
tional foods such as meat, dairy,
seafood and eggs.

GEA’s first ATC was launched in
Hildesheim, Germany, in 2023. The
new facility expands the GEA Janes- simulate industrial conditions, allowing biological, cell-based, and analytical
ville campus, which has served as a site companies to validate and optimise testing under one roof. Commenting on
for production, repair, logistics, and production processes early. the new centre, Stefan Klebert, CEO
training since 2024. of GEA Group, said, “With this invest-
Thermal processing and aseptic ment, we are helping our customers
The Janesville ATC will bridge the filling will ensure food safety and sta- scale up the production of novel foods
gap between laboratory innovation and bility, while membrane filtration, spray such as precision-fermented egg white
industrial-scale production. The facility drying, and centrifugation will support and cultivated seafood. At the same
combines core GEA process techno- downstream separation and formula- time, we are strengthening our North
logies that are essential to producing tion – critical steps to achieving pro- American footprint, where our 1,600
next-generation proteins at scale. duct quality, texture, and cost-efficiency. employees at 16 locations support
Pilot-scale bioreactors for precision fer- Advanced lab capabilities complete manufacturing, sales, service, training,
mentation and cell cultivation will help the centre’s offering, enabling micro- and testing.”
GROWING PRESENCE
AstraZeneca to pump in $50-bn to boost manufacturing

and R&D in US

UK-headquartered pharma major, been seeking to replicate. The new cen- * R&D centre in Kendall Square,
AstraZeneca, has announced plans to tre will produce small molecules, pep- Cambridge, Massachusetts.
invest $50-bn in the US by 2030, to tides and oligonucleotides. The facility * Manufacturing facilities for cell
expand its medicines manufacturing would be AstraZeneca’s largest single therapy in Rockville, Maryland and
and R&D activities. manufacturing investment in the world Tarzana, California.
and will leverage artificial intelligence * Continuous manufacturing expan-
The cornerstone of the investment and robotics to optimize production. sion in Mount Vernon, Indiana.
is a new multi-billion dollar US manu- * Speciality manufacturing expansion
facturing facility that will produce drug The $50-bn investment across the in Coppell, Texas.
substances for the company’s weight company’s R&D and manufacturing * New sites to supply clinical trials.
management and metabolic portfolio. footprint over the next five years also * Growing research and development
This includes GLP-1, the substance includes: investment in novel medicines.
used in Novo Nordisk’s weight loss * Expansion of the R&D facility in
drug Ozempic, which AstraZeneca has Gaithersburg, Maryland. The investment builds on the $3.5-bn

160 Chemical Weekly August 5, 2025

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