Tjoapack, a global contract packaging organization serving the pharmaceutical industry, has expanded its oral solid dose (OSD) bottle packaging capabilities at its Etten-Leur facility in the Netherlands with the installation of a second automated production line. The investment reinforces the company’s focus on flexible, GMP-compliant packaging solutions as demand for OSD medicines continues to rise.
The newly installed line is based on the Cremer Uhlmann IBC 50 bottle packaging system. According to the company, the line is designed to handle a wide variety of bottle shapes and formats while delivering a throughput of up to 50 bottles per minute. The system is fully compliant with GMP requirements, supporting pharmaceutical customers that require consistent quality and regulatory assurance across different markets.
With the addition of the IBC 50, Tjoapack is able to offer a broader range of packaging configurations from a single line. Bottles can be packed into cartons together with a leaflet, or combined with a booklet using a top-serter solution, before being wrapped in plastic via a shrink tunnel. This configuration allows customers to select different presentation formats without the need for multiple dedicated lines, an increasingly important requirement as product portfolios diversify and batch sizes become more variable.
The expansion is intended to address both growing volumes and changing expectations in the pharmaceutical packaging market. Oral solid dose medicines remain one of the most widely used dosage forms globally, and pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to scale production while maintaining high standards of compliance and flexibility. By increasing its bottle packaging capacity, Tjoapack positions itself to support customers as they adapt to evolving regulatory, logistical, and commercial demands.
“This investment reflects our continued focus on flexibility and operational excellence,” said Geert Vleugels, General Manager of Tjoapack Netherlands. “By introducing a line that supports multiple packaging configurations, we can better align our services with the diverse needs of our customers while maintaining the highest GMP standards.”
From an operational perspective, the second bottle line also enables Tjoapack to streamline workflows at the Etten-Leur site. The ability to switch between different packaging configurations on a single line reduces changeover complexity and improves overall efficiency, supporting shorter lead times and more responsive production planning. For pharmaceutical clients, this translates into greater agility when launching new products, adjusting pack formats, or responding to market-specific requirements.
The Etten-Leur facility plays a central role in Tjoapack’s European operations, serving a wide range of pharmaceutical customers with contract packaging services. The latest investment underlines the company’s strategy of selectively expanding capacity where it can deliver added value through automation, compliance, and format flexibility, rather than simply increasing output.
As regulatory scrutiny and market expectations continue to intensify, contract packaging providers are increasingly expected to function as strategic partners rather than purely executional suppliers. With the addition of the Cremer Uhlmann IBC 50 line, Tjoapack strengthens its ability to offer scalable, compliant, and adaptable bottle packaging solutions aligned with the long-term needs of the pharmaceutical industry.
