Clariant to set up new plant in Tamil Nadu; plans to tap pharma sector

Ketan Premani, head of Clariant Healthcare Packaging Sales in India, said, “India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally making it a key market for Clariant's desiccant products. We want to ensure that we serve our customers here as directly and efficiently as possible. When the plant is complete, they will now have the ability to procure Clariant's global standard products directly produced in India."

 

The new plant in Cuddalore will initially produce desiccant canisters and packets, which are inserted into pharmaceutical packaging to control moisture and protect the stability of the medicine during shelf life. The desiccant production area will be Clean Room Class 100,000 and certified ISO 8. It will be compliant with all relevant cGMP and US FDA standards.

 

Dr Deepak Parikh, region president – India, Clariant, said, "This new manufacturing facility is in alignment with our overall growth strategy in the country. The new facility will enable us to enhance our medical specialties business and offer end-to-end solutions to our existing as well as potential customers."

 

The new plant will primarily serve globally active generic and branded pharmaceutical companies operating in India, as well as the domestic Indian pharmaceutical market.

 

According to Markets and Markets, a major global market-research firm, India's pharmaceutical packaging market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2 percent from 2015 to 2020.

 

India Ratings & Research, another research company with six offices across India, recently reported that Indian drug makers accounted for 40 percent of U.S. generic drug imports. It forecasts a 20 percent CAGR for the overall pharmaceutical market through 2020.

 

The new Healthcare Packaging plant in Cuddalore—together with its plant in Changshu, China and the recent acquisition of healthcare packaging specialist VitaPac, located in Dongguan, China—positions Clariant to play a major role in the expanding healthcare sector across Asia.