HEMOFARM: 10 million euros for the expansion of production

Hemofarm, the leader in the pharmaceutical market of Serbia and the surrounding region, one of the ten largest exporters in Serbia, expands its portfolio and begins the production of the world-famous brand Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo through the investment of 10 million euros for the reconstruction and procurement of new production equipment.

STADA Group acquired the production portfolio Nizoral shampoos from Johnson&Johnson in 2019 and decided to transfer the production of these world-famous products to the production plant of Hemofarm in Šabac.

The approved investment worth 10 million euros was used for reconstruction of the old blister packaging department, as well as for the procurement of the production equipment for as many as five new lines, which additionally expanded the production portfolio of liquid forms of this company.

The first reconstruction phase was completed in June 2022, when the production lines were put into operation, and during the tour of the production, Jesus Corchero Romero, Senior Vice President of STADA Group for Global Operations, emphasized the significance and value of this investment:

– Our goal in Global Operations is to become the Preferred Supplier, on time. Every time, so we can support perpetual growth in all markets where we operate. Over the years, we have learned that for growing and performing better than others we must maximize our network capabilities and to invest in the best technologies in the right locations, showing at any time the flexibility to adapt to the demands of local markets and global business conditions. This investment will further strengthen the leadership position of STADA, not only in the local and regional markets where Hemofarm operates, but also in other markets around the world. After the complete reconstruction, our Sabac Site plant will be fully prepared to ensure the expected supply reliability with the new three fully automatic lines for the production of liquids, into bottles and pouches, and what is more important, it will create the opportunity for new jobs – Romero said.

Validation of five different formulations of Nizoral shampoo 2 % has been done so far and production of optimization batch of Nizoral shampoo 1 % started in December.

– The work on this project was extremely demanding. The plant that was reconstructed is located in the ‘heart’ of the factory, so it was necessary to ensure uninterrupted daily work, in addition to the reconstruction of over 1,000 m2 of space that is connected to the rest of the production. The dedication and experience of both production and management employees led to a successful implementation, and within six months (which is the period usually needed for only one line), as many as five new machines were successfully put into operation. After the complete reconstruction, the total production capacity will amount to 30 million packs of liquid forms – Dejan Ivanović, Director of Operations of Hemofarm Group added.

Currently, 7 million packs of liquid forms are produced in HEMOFARM’s factory in Šabac, and when all the transfers related to this investment have been completed, the annual production will amount to 37 million packs of liquid forms, while reaching the full production capacity opens the space for more jobs.

Photo: Hemofarm