Accelerating R&D Innovation, Sustainability and Production Capacity for 2030 – Expansion of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America Facilities by Mid-2023

• Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America is expanding to increase its Glenview facility to 43,000 square feet – Targeting completion in mid-2023.
• R&D and production capacity will be doubled for Fluid Management Systems – Virus filtration and hollow fiber membranes applications support lab space will also be doubled.
• Facility modernization will include sustainable technology, advanced material recycling methods and more efficient office space for collaboration and innovation.

Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America, a subsidiary of diversified Japanese multinational company Asahi Kasei, is currently undergoing a dramatic expansion of their Glenview, Illinois facilities to fuel innovation and to meet growing market needs for fluid management equipment, virus filtration and hollow fiber membrane technology. This 16,000 square-foot expansion will bring the total size of the facility to 43,000 square feet and is projected for completion by mid-2023.

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Adapting to meet evolving market needs, accelerated R&D and sustainability advancements are key aspects of the 16,000 square-foot expansion of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America's Glenview, Illinois facilities. (Photo: Business Wire)

Adapting to meet Evolving Market Needs

As market leaders in process hardware and controls for pharmaceutical manufacturing (Fluid Management Systems), including the award-winning family of Inline Buffer Formulation systems, this expansion will allow Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America to double production capacity to meet the exponentially growing demand of the industry. The inventory warehousing capability will also increase four-fold, allowing better support of customer needs and offering shorter lead times for high-demand equipment. In addition, assembly and quality control areas will be outfitted with overhead lifting systems, complete with six devices that can carry loads of up to 40 tons, allowing increased manufacturing capacity of larger equipment which will support an increase in capacity at customer sites. This expansion will equip Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America to support the expected market growth through 2030.

Accelerated R&D

Beyond doubling R&D around Fluid Management Systems, Asahi Kasei Bioprocesses will also accelerate R&D in virus filtration and hollow fiber membrane products. The laboratory space will be expanded, and new product development space will be added where innovations around new product lines, improvements in existing product features and increased product evaluations will be proactively pursued.

“R&D has driven innovation at Asahi Kasei since its establishment 1922. As part of that family, Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America supports the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical markets through our expertise in virus filtration, oligonucleotide synthesis, buffer preparation, chromatography and more,” says Chris Nordhoff, President of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America. “Our combined expertise supports nearly 300 companies worldwide who develop and manufacture a wide range of therapeutics that treat cancer, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, high cholesterol and even the COVID-19 vaccine. The heightened R&D capabilities brought by this expansion will enable us to further our mission of becoming ‘The Oligo Partner’ supporting production and development of medicines patients can trust.”

Advancements for Sustainability and Employee Satisfaction

Awarded Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune in 2020 and 2021, Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America understands that quality products and the greatest innovation come from teams that feel valued, appreciated and supported. The current facilities will be remodeled to offer better accommodations for employees, including additional meeting and collaboration spaces. In addition, the expansion will be built to harness natural light as much as possible, with large windows and modern energy-saving technologies such as a daylight harvesting system that detects motion as well as ambient light – acting as a supplement to natural light. Modernized hardware systems for improved process efficiency and use of recyclable materials will also be deployed throughout both new and old parts of the facility. The organization also intends to eliminate their dependence on fossil fuels by installing a solar energy source in 2023 that is expected to reduce the reliance on local utilities for electric power by 90%.

This expansion will give Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America a strong foothold as market leaders in bioprocess equipment and push the bar for the industry through increased production capacity, higher quality and optimized efficiency. This exemplifies Asahi Kasei’s corporate medium-term management plan to be a trailblazer for the Health Care Sector and sustainability initiatives for product manufacturing, CSR and human rights.

About Asahi Kasei Bioprocess

The Fluid Management Business Unit of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess is devoted to solving therapeutic product safety, efficiency, and purity challenges within the pharmaceutical and bioprocessing industries. With technology platforms for oligonucleotide synthesis, buffer formulation, chromatography, and filtration, our bioprocess systems, columns, and automation solutions advance GMP manufacturing of critical drug substances around the world. Built with pride, built with quality, built to exceed expectations. “Built for You.” For more information, please visit https://fluidmgmt.ak-bio.com.

The Purification Business Unit of Asahi Kasei Bioprocess provides a growing range of innovative hollow-fiber purification products that help biotherapeutics manufacturers safely and efficiently produce medicines that patients can trust under the philosophy: “Assurance Beyond Expectation.” Beginning in 1989 with the launch of Planova™, the world’s first virus removal filter, our pioneering tradition of supplying exceptionally reliable bioprocess consumables has continued with the launches of several next-generation virus removal filters as well as purification and clarification products. For more information, please visit https://planova.ak-bio.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/.

Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/

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