Serum Institute of India (SII) acquires 50% stake of SCHOTT Kaisha to become SCHOTT’s joint venture partner and secure pharma packaging supply

Pune, India / Mainz, Germany; 17 August 2021: Germany’s specialty glass company SCHOTT AG has a new partner: Serum Institute of India, the world‘s largest vaccine producer and manufacturer of highly-effective biologics, has bought the 50% stake in the Indian joint venture SCHOTT Kaisha from former co-owners Kairus Dadachanji and Shapoor Mistry. The joint venture is the leading Indian manufacturer of pharma packaging products such as vials, syringes, ampoules and cartridges used to package life-saving medications. With this acquisition, Serum is securing its supply of high-quality pharma packaging amid rising global demand.
 

 

The joint venture will definitely continue to supply its customers in India and abroad as a reliable partner, says Eric L’Heureux, the new Managing Director and former longstanding Head of Operations. “We have significantly increased our production capacity in India. Over the last three years we have invested roughly INR 600 crores to set up two new plants in Umarsadi, Gujarat and Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, and to secure uninterrupted supply in our existing facilities during the pandemic.” Both SCHOTT and Serum are committed to invest further and will announce concrete plans as this partnership evolves.

Fighting COVID-19 together

Working together in the joint venture opens a new chapter in the successful partnership of Serum and SCHOTT. The companies have had a strong business relationship – and both have been playing a crucial role during the pandemic. From the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak Serum rose to the challenge of developing and/or manufacturing live-saving vaccines, such as COVISHIELD and COVOVAX. To this day, the company has filled and delivered hundreds of millions of doses to India and the world.

On the packaging end, SCHOTT has already exceeded its target to deliver vials for more than 2 billion vaccine doses through 2021. The company is providing glass vials globally to key vaccine manufacturers. The fact that SCHOTT has an integrated value chain, covering also the glass tubing the packaging is made of, further helped to secure the supply chain.