EMD Millipore Expands Biomanufacturing Center in Japan

EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, has opened a new Biomanufacturing Sciences Training Center (BSTC) facility in Tokyo, designed to help biopharma companies develop manufacturing processes and find solutions to processing challenges in collaboration with EMD Millipore. The company has invested €1.3 million in the project, which will relocate the existing center in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture into a larger facility.
 
By simulating the manufacturing process, the company’s Training Centers allow customers to test equipment and devices, evaluate manufacturing processes, and conduct operator training. This training is designed to help biopharma companies expedite system implementation and enhance efficiency with manufacturing process development, as well as provide quality assurance validations compliant with GMP standards and various regulations.
 
The new facility comprises a pilot scale zone equipped with EMD Millipore’s Mobius series of single-use components for everything from culture to filtration and purification, allowing for demonstration testing from upstream to downstream processes. There is also a process development and application test zone for various types of testing for process development and optimization, a seminar and training zone, and a gallery zone with product displays. Additionally, staff members provide manufacturing support to client companies.
 
“We recognize that our customers in Japan face tremendous pressure to reduce development costs and identify production efficiencies. The new BSTC is designed to recreate an actual manufacturing environment allowing customers to operate equipment, evaluate processes and conduct training,” said Udit Batra, president and chief executive officer of EMD Millipore. “Our goal for this facility, now the ninth of its kind for EMD Millipore, is to enhance the customer experience by delivering innovation, quality products, and comprehensive technological support – all major components of our product and service portfolio offering.”