- Company to Install Additional Mammalian Bioreactors and New Microbial Facility -

AGC Inc., a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, has announced a major expansion of AGC Biologics headquartered in the U.S., a CDMO (*1) subsidiary of the company.

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Photo: AGC Biologics, Seattle manufacturing base

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At AGC Biologics’ Seattle site, plans have been finalized to install twelve additional 2,000L single-use (*2) mammalian cell bioreactors, and to establish a brand-new microbial contract development and manufacturing facility. AGC Biologics’ current microbial capacities are in Europe and Japan, and the addition of the Seattle facility will provide wider regional coverage across the continents for microbial services as well. Once operational, AGC’s biopharmaceutical production capacity in the U.S. will be tripled. The total investment for this expansion is estimated to be about 10 billion yen, with full-scale operations slated to start from July 2020.

Under its “AGC plus” management policy, the AGC Group has made a commitment positioning life science-related business as one of its strategic initiatives, aiming at sales in the 100 billion yen range by 2025. AGC has developed manufacturing and sales bases in Europe and the U.S. through the acquisitions of Biomeva in 2016 and CMC Biologics in 2017. Since then, the company has been making multiple investments in equipment and facilities at its locations across Japan, Europe, and the U.S.

AGC intends to continue to pursue acquisition opportunities and to make capital investment in its synthetic and biopharmaceutical business, expected to exhibit significant growth in demand in the coming years, in order to continue providing customers in every region with globally consistent, top-level quality and service. By maximizing synergies among its sites, AGC will continue to pursue its goal of being a company that contributes to pharmaceutical companies, medical patients, and the wider society in general.

Notes

(*1) CDMO: Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization. A company which is contracted or acts on behalf of another company to handle product manufacturing as well as the development of manufacturing methods.

(*2) Single-use: Culture tanks that use a disposable vessel.

Reference Information

About the AGC Group

AGC Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Takuya Shimamura) is the parent company of the AGC Group, a world-leading glass solution provider and supplier of flat, automotive and display glass, chemicals, ceramics and other high-tech materials and components. Based on more than a century of technical innovation, the AGC Group has developed a wide range of cutting-edge products. The AGC Group employs some 50,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales of approximately 1.5 trillion Japanese yen through business in about 30 countries.

For more information, please visit www.agc.com/en

AGC Group's Life Science Operations Bases:

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