ICPBIO Starts Production at New Facility

Media Statement
20 November 2006

ICPBIO Starts Production at New Facility

* Plasma fractionation operations re-started on schedule in new plant

* Plans for bovine plasma processing to rise from two tonnes per week to up to 12 tonnes per week by January 2007

* New capacity will make ICPbio world’s largest chromatography processer of bovine plasma

Statement made by Dr Earl Stevens, Managing Director, ICP Biotechnology Limited

ICPbio is on schedule with its new manufacturing facility in Henderson, Waitakere City. Plasma fractionation operations restarted in the new factory over the weekend, as scheduled, following receipt of the required Government approvals late last week. The new facility will now operate 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

Initially the new plasma fractionation plant will process two tonnes a week of bovine plasma, and by late January 2007 the company plans to process up to 12 tonnes of bovine plasma per week.

Space freed up in the existing 26 Waipareira Avenue facility following the transfer of its plasma fractionation operations to the 37–39 Waipareira Avenue facility will be utilised for additional new biological products, to be extracted from other bovine tissues which are by-products of the New Zealand meat industry.

The 26 Waipareira Avenue facility continues to operate on a 12–16 hour per day, five to six day per week schedule, with the ability to also move to 24 hour a day operations as the business expands.

When operating closer to design capacity, the new manufacturing facility will make ICPbio the world’s largest chromatography fractionator (processor) of bovine plasma and position ICPbio to become the third largest producer of bovine albumin in the world.

Unlike other biotechnology companies, ICPbio’s success is not dependent on discovering and exploiting its own novel drug discovery intellectual property but instead focuses on the low risk, high return end of the biotechnology market – and adding significant value to NZ farming sector output. ICPbio manufactures the media, serums and biochemicals pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies use to make, test, store, and deliver their products.

ENDS

© Scoop Media