Groundbreaking Ceremony at Cologne on January 19, 2022

The Ludwigshafen-based Lipoid enterprise, which supplies excipients to the global pharmaceutical industry and operates four independent production facilities in Germany, remains on a continuous growth track. A medium-term investment in the triple-digit million-Euro range is currently underway at the company’s Cologne site, PHOSPHOLIPID GmbH, to construct a modern production and laboratory complex, a pharmaceutical warehouse, and a new steam generation and cooling water unit, all on a total area in excess of 15,000 m2.

Implementation of this project is in the hands of a 20-person interdisciplinary team covering the areas of engineering, quality assurance, quality control, production, and procurement, which is working together with local architects, specialist planners, and other experts.

The impact of the COVID pandemic and resulting changes in working conditions during the planning phases led to cancellation of face-to-face meetings. However, preparatory measures could be completed in less than 12 months following approval of the early start of construction in March 2021. This allowed the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony to take place as early as January 2022 – with participation of local politicians, representatives from the immediate neighborhood, as well as the project team.

Commissioning of the plants for steam and cooling water generation will follow in the course of this year. Completion of the warehouse building is already planned for the first quarter of 2024. The areas for quality control, quality assurance, as well as administration should be ready to move in by the end of 2024 at the latest. Commissioning of the production building is likewise scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Through implementation of the planned process and plant engineering, the corporate group intends to substantially enhance the capacity of this site while simultaneously complying with its self-imposed sustainability goals.

According to the overall project manager Dr. Lorenz Gabel, these investment projects are based on a clear decision of the Lipoid Group to pursue long-term development of the existing site.

 

Fig. 1: 1. to 3. Pharmaceutical warehouse and laboratory complex, 4. Steam generation and cooling water plant, 5. Production building