The German technology firm opened and began production at the €5m ($6.1m) plant – located at a site in the city of Verna – last week according to spokeswoman Christa Moedinger who told in-Pharmatechnologist.com why the firm chose the location.
“This region offers a very good infrastructure, which was an important point for our decision. Additionally there are a number of pharma and food companies which have set up subsidiaries in the region of Goa.”
She explained that ongoing investment by pharmaceutical manufacturers in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and formulation development in India has made it “one of the most important pharmerging countries.”
The Verna site will make sterile filling and closing lines – both from components shipped from Europe and those produced at the site - for local and international pharmaceutical firms Moedinger continued, adding that Bosch will also offer galenic development services for oral pharmaceuticals.
At present the new plant employs 130 people and has capacity to produce 200 machines a year, however expansion is planned.
Bosch Packaging Technology - which has operated in Goa since 2007 – claims it has sold 1,200 packaging machines to companies in India’s pharmaceutical, food and confectionary industries and reported that it generated revenue of €10m in the country in 2011.
Bosch is one of a number of production technology manufacturers to have ramped up capacity in Goa in recent years in a bid to capture a share of the regions expanding pharma and food sectors, which is something that the firm acknowledges.
“We compete with the same international competitors in the individual segments as we do in all other parts of the world,” Moedinger said.