Picture spread: SGD Pharma Celebrating Sucy-en-Brie furnace ignition

SGD Pharma ignites Sucy-en-Brie furnace

French pharmaceutical glass manufacturer SGD Pharma has completed major works to reconstruct and modernise Furnace N°2 and its production lines at its Sucy-en-Brie plant.

The strategic development project for the plant began in December 2020, with a €25 million investment – the company’s second largest since the construction of the Saint-Quentin-Lamotte (SQLM) plant in 2016 – allowing it to cement its position in pharmaceutical moulded glass packaging.

The Sucy Pharma 2025 project includes the complete rebuild and upgrade of furnace 2, the modifi cation of the building itself, full revamping of the ISO 8 clean rooms, next generation IS machines, and the installation of the most advanced technologies available for automatic inspection.

New live monitoring systems, better thermal insulation and increased electric boosting will reduce CO2 emissions by 10%.

The re-design of catwalks and public areas will improve safety and the working environment in the plant.

The organisation said the investment will allow the 100-year-old plant to unveil its potential: to become a reference site for Type II / III and to meet its ambitious operations performance goals.

The group plans to rebuild its Furnace 3 at the site in 2023.

SGD Pharma COO, Christophe Muguet, said: "On Monday, March 22nd at our Sucy-en-Brie plant, we were celebrating the completion of our latest renovations with the lighting of our newly reconstructed furnace. "This milestone in the pioneering Sucy Pharma 2025 project helps cement our position as a leader in pharmaceutical glass packaging."

Gregory Decoster, Sucy-en-Brie Plant Director, said: "We are all very proud of this achievement – renovating a century-old factory takes great skill and care, and we are fortunate to have a dedicated workforce with great expertise in the pharma glass industry. "In parallel with Sucy’s industrial transformation, we are also developing our behavior and capabilities through leadership programmes, teamwork, talent development and cultural growth."