The new plant will allow Piramal Pharma Solutions to handle larger orders and therefore accommodate larger customers, according to the company
Piramal Pharma Solutions, which manufactures pharmaceutical products, officially inaugurated its third plant in Aurora last Thursday.
The event, attended by Mayor Tom Mrakas, Councilor Rachel Gilliland and other local dignitaries, was slow to come after ground for the factory expansion was first broken in 2019 But this is just the start of an ever-growing chapter in the company’s local history.
“A lot has changed in the world since we did our groundbreaking work just before COVID, but it’s wonderful to see everyone here [for a] great opportunity to celebrate a wonderful achievement on behalf of Piramal, the Aurora site and the Aurora community,” said Paolo Fiorino, Executive Vice President of Piramal.
“The reactors that we have installed here have a larger capacity, so they allow us to produce larger batch sizes, to meet the needs of our customers a little more efficiently and a larger reactor stimulates better efficiency, [and] greater productivity.
The new factory will allow Piramal to process larger orders and, therefore, accommodate larger customers.
Despite some initial technical difficulties, the new plant is operating at “almost 100% capacity”.
“It didn’t take us long to get to a steady state, but we’re trying to recover some of the backlog that was created with the initial delays,” he said. “We are satisfied with the project and are already looking forward to the next installation.
The next installation will also take place on their Industrial Parkway North property.
The Aurora plant recently received funding approval from its board of directors to begin master planning and concepts for its next phase “to really start thinking about what the long-term plan might be for this facility”.
“Hopefully in the next four to five months we’ll be able to get a better idea of what this place might look like in the future.”
At Thursday’s inauguration, Mayor Mrakas said it was an “exciting” day for the business community.
“It’s very exciting not only for Piramal but for the city of Aurora,” he said. “Ultimately, the growth that has occurred and the expansion of our city from an economic perspective and we love to see businesses thrive in our community. I think Piramal is a great example of an amazing corporate citizen who has done so much in our community. By this expansion, it shows that we have a strong partnership and that we will continue to see the growth of Piramal.
“We are thrilled and happy to see you continue to grow and continue to be one of the best corporate citizens in our community.”
Speaking to nearly 200 employees who had gathered for the official inauguration, this enthusiasm for future growth was echoed by Stuart Needleman, Chief Commercial Officer of Piramal.
“It’s just the first of a few because there’s a demand for the work you do, so you should be proud of everything you’ve done,” he said. ” We are a [on a] let’s walk together and the journey will continue. There is a huge demand for what we do and we are facing space constraints, we are facing other challenges and we are all managing because we are all working together again for the common goal: patients .
From the perspective of Lisa Hausz, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Aurora, Piramal’s expansion last week is a good example of the town “supporting local businesses and helping them grow, grow and to add more employees.
“This one has grown from 180 employees and we will end up with 250 by the time they finish hiring here, which is a huge boost to have expansion in the city – especially in health care and health care. [fields]which is one of our target sectors.
Hausz added that his department is looking to highlight the importance of these healthcare companies to Aurora’s economy in the coming year through the Emerging Aurora program, with one opportunity being a symposium bringing together techpreneurs, with an additional focus on the automotive, mobility and transportation sectors to follow.
Brock Weir is a federally funded Local Journalism Initiative reporter at The Auroran
