Expansions: Airnov continues to expand presence in Chinese market; Evonik invests in new Rohacell production facility in Germany

Airnov Healthcare Packaging, a global leader in controlled atmosphere packaging, continues its strong support of the Chinese market after recent investments in expanding its production capabilities across a range of product lines.

As a global leader in shelf-life preservation solutions, Airnov’s products are designed to protect pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and diagnostic products from moisture and oxygen.

Airnov’s dedicated diagnostic portfolio includes HAT-SNAP, HAT-IN and desiccant packets.

HAT-SNAP is an active and ergonomic vial featuring a container with temper-evident desiccant stopper.

HAT-IN, meanwhile, is an active and ergonomic flip-top container featured with an advanced desiccant polymer (ADP) technology integrated into the vial itself, to provide a high moisture barrier, as well as excellent moisture adsorption to protect even the most sensitive test strips and nutraceutical products.

Airnov also produces a range of desiccant packets at its Chinese facilities, located in Changshu and Dongguan.

These include the Continu-Strip packets and the rimless packets, available in a wide range of sizes. These packets are typically used in rapid tests, urinalysis strips, ELISA kits and a variety of in-vitro and clinical diagnostic devices.

“The Chinese market continues to be of crucial importance to Airnov,” commented Albert Zhao, General Manager of Airnov Asia Pacific. “It is a key reason why we have state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities operating in the cities of Changshu and Dongguan.”

Airnov adds it remains committed to growing its presence in the Chinese market having recently invested in expanding capabilities at Changshu. The modernisation of the site 150 km northwest of Shanghai includes the installation of new production lines that enables the company to produce a wider range of products at greater volumes.

This includes HAT-SNAP, which is seeing heightening demand due to the growing Chinese market.

“No matter what product our customers seek, Airnov guarantees high quality, complete compliance certification of FDA, EU and NMPA, and a stable supply for customers both in China and around the world,” added Albert Zhao.

In other news, chemical firm Evonik is investing a significant double-digit million Euro sum in a new, modern production facility for its high-performance foams for fibre composites manufactured in Darmstadt, Germany. At the same time, parts of the original production plant, which went into operation in 1972, will be shut down or extensively modernised. These measures will enable Evonik to continue to meet growing demand for its structural foams, for example from the aerospace industry, it adds.

Evonik's original production facility in Darmstadt has been manufacturing Rohacell structural foam, which is used as a core material for sandwich composite materials, for 50 years. Sales have risen steadily in recent years due to increasing market demand for lightweight components in a wide range of industries, including medical technology and sports applications to parts for the electronics industry and automotive and aircraft construction. Rohacell plays a role in emerging technology developments, such as high frequency equipment for 5G networks as well as the design of air taxis. In addition, the product range of high-performance foams will soon be expanded with new developments beyond Rohacell polymethacrylimide structural foam.

"With this contribution, Evonik continues on its path of investing in products that support sustainable solutions for our customers," says Dr. Claus Rettig, head of Evonik's Smart Materials Division. "Manufacturers in many industries want to efficiently produce high-performance lightweight components. Our high-performance foams for composites make this possible."

Production will continue at the existing plant in Darmstadt during the construction and modernization phase. The first new production plant will start operation in April 2022, and further plants will follow over the course of the year.

Production of the high-performance foam Rohacell began in 1972 in Darmstadt, Germany, later expanding into the Americas and Asia. Additional plants and regional teams are located in Mobile (Alabama, US) and Shanghai (China) to support and supply customers in North and South America and Asia.

Rohacell is a rigid polymethacrylimide structural foam used in the design and manufacture of sandwich components in aerospace and aviation, automotive, marine, sports equipment, electronics and medical applications. The lightweight foam can withstand high temperatures and high pressure, making it ideal as a core material for composite components.

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