Cleanroom Expansion Aids Growth
Southampton, Pennsylvania-based NewAge Industries recently completed a $10 million, 43,000-square-foot addition that included new warehousing space, as well as ISO Class 7 and 8 cleanrooms. NewAge is a leading designer and manufacturer of plastic and rubber tubing. The project encompassed nearly two years of planning and validation.
The new cleanrooms will be used to produce platinum-cured silicone tubing, molded components, and single-use molded tubing assemblies for the biopharma and pharmaceutical industries. The pharmaceutical processing sector has embraced the application of single-use components very aggressively. The primary benefits being a less expensive option that significantly decreases cleaning needs and improves change-over times when using one line for multiple products.
According to the Ken Baker, the company’s CEO, the additional cleanrooms not only allow for increased capacity but provide more physical separation from traditionally manufactured products. This isolation can help to ensure the highest levels of purity and sanitation while preserving raw materials and keeping the extrusion, molding, inspection, and packaging processes uncontaminated.
Perhaps more impressive than the physical size of the addition or the level of investment is that the project was carried out in a way that minimized production disruptions. “Our intent was to move and validate our manufacturing equipment in phases to avoid any production stoppages or product shortages. We accomplished that,” added Baker.