Qualicaps adds new technology as part of expansion

The expansion that gelatin capsule maker Qualicaps is undertaking in North Carolina is designed not only to meet growing demand but also to take the company into some new product lines. The project, announced this week by the North Carolina Governor's Office, was shy on details. But Angie Roberson, a spokeswoman for the company, told FiercePharmaManufacturing the project will get under way in April and be completed in phases over the next three years. "The need for expansion was brought on by an expansion in our current business base and the addition of new capsule technology that broadens our capsule offerings," Roberson said in an email. The project will be helped by a $235,000 grant from the state, assuming it hits its job expansion goals and gets local assistance as well. Qualicaps, which is being bought out by Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, has promised to add 123 employees to the 500 already working at its plant in Whitsett, NC. The Carlyle Group ($CG), which has owned the company since 2005, agreed in December to sell Qualicaps to Mitsubishi for about $650 million. That transaction is set to close in March. Story | More