Actavis ($ACT) has seen significant production increases at a manufacturing facility in Malta in recent years and so needed more storage space to handle it. This week it opened a new 4,800-square-meter warehouse in Bulebel, that uses new technology to tread lightly on the environment.
The generic drugmaker invested about €13 million ($17.7 million) in the 51,7000-square-foot warehouse on the island off the southern tip of Italy. It has the capability of handling 7,500 pallet positions. The company said the facility is using solar thermal energy and hot water. It has a rain-harvesting system and the lighting is controlled according to how many people are in the facility.
The need for the warehouse was driven by production growth at its plant in Bulebel, the company said, which has nearly tripled in the last 7 years. Among products manufactured there is Beacita, a treatment for obesity. Actavis has about 750 people on the island, making it among the country's largest employers.
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| Malta Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat |
Malta Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat, who attended the opening of the new facility, has announced plans to introduce legislation to parliament that would amend patent laws to benefit generic drugmakers, the Malta Independent reported.
Actavis has been making other upgrades to its extensive global manufacturing network. In May it said it would invest about $48 million to revitalize facilities in Puerto Rico that it picked up as part of its $8.5 billion takeover last year of Warner Chilcott. The company will add a solid dosage manufacturing and packaging facility at its Manati site and expanded its hormone plant at Fajardo, adding about 300 jobs over the next three years.
- here's the announcement
- get more from the Malta Independent