Meissner Filtration Products announced yesterday that their new manufacturing facility in Mayo is operational. The new facility features a state of the art 930 m² (10,000 ft² ) ISO class 7 cleanroom, dedicated to the manufacture of Single-Use Systems. Validation of the facility was completed in mid-April and the facility is currently manufacturing products for their biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical client base.
Nigel Cannon, Managing Director of the new Meissner site, said: "While we had envisaged marking this day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to recognize the efforts of all those involved in bringing this new facility online, this is obviously not possible given Covid-19.
"This symbolic day will come, but what is of immediate importance, perhaps now more than ever given the current health crisis, is that Meissner has an additional operational manufacturing facility capable of supplying our clients with products critical to the manufacture of life-saving medicines, including those directly related to Covid-19."
Meissner’s new manufacturing facility measures over 3900 m² (42,000 ft² ), and future expansion plans call for a substantial size increase over the coming years. Initial ground work for this development is set to begin later this year. Meissner anticipated future expansions at the time of purchasing the new Advanced Technology Building from the IDA, by also purchasing the adjacent land.
With the facility now operational, Meissner had looked forward to welcoming visitors to their new manufacturing site, however Covid-19 has impacted these plans.
Laura Meissner, Executive Director of Quality at Meissner, said: "While the site is currently fully operational and otherwise ready for customer visits, as a critical supplier to the pharmaceutical industry, it is of primary importance that all of our sites remain operational, and thus, Meissner Ltd. in Castlebar is not currently allowing outside visitors.
"While site visits are not yet possible, we have been actively working with our clients to allow them to remotely review the facility operations and validation thereof, prior to a physical visit. Contemporary technology has allowed us to still move forward in spite of the current restrictions.”
Congratulating Meissner on this significant milestone, Martin Shanahan, CEO IDA Ireland, said: "Just over a year ago, Meissner, in partnership with IDA Ireland, announced its ambitious plans for this manufacturing facility in Castlebar.
"Now operational, the facility is providing products to its clients in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector at this critical time. Meissner continues to create excellent employment opportunities in addition to making an important contribution to the local economy in the West of Ireland. I wish the teams both in Castlebar and in California continued success and the ongoing support of IDA Ireland.”
