Vetter’s Illinois Facility Expansion Nears Completion
The expansion of the CDMO’s Skokie, IL facility includes additional refrigeration and freezer space.
On April 16, 2019, contract development and manufacturing organization Vetter announced that expansion activities are almost complete at its US clinical manufacturing facility located in the Illinois Science and Technology Park in suburban Chicago, Skokie, IL.
The facility expansion will help enable refrigeration or freezing for newer drug molecules such as peptides or antibodies. With the new additions, most of which are expected to be completed by April 2019, the site will increase its storage space by an additional 3100 ft2. The new storage includes a 2500-ft2 freezer farm as well as a planned 600-ft2 walk-in refrigerator.
In total, 6800 ft2 of storage space will be added. A second extension, now in the final planning stage, will include an additional 1500 ft2 of room temperature and freezer space.
Other additions include new offices with 45 work stations, conference rooms, and an archive room. To support the increase in projects, a permanent second work shift will be added in visual inspection over the next months. A second shift in quality oversight is also planned.
“When completed, the facility will have more than double the overall storage space we have currently available,” said Dr. Susanne Lemaine, vice-president, Vetter Development Service Chicago, in a company press release. “This extensive expansion of freezer and refrigeration storage space represents the ongoing evolution in our Chicago business.”
Since beginning full operations in late 2011, Vetter’s US early-stage development site has been expanding to help meet growing demand. In 2016, the site expanded its storage capacity by 150% to 3700 ft2.
Source: Vetter
