High-purity medical oxygen for Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria comes from Bopfingen, Germany
At its Bopfingen site, Nippon Gases Germany has been producing high-quality technical gases for various industries for more than 20 years. Now the company is expanding the plant to include a new filling station for medical oxygen as a pharmaceutical. A highly demanding task.
Due to the pandemic, i. a., medical oxygen is in greater demand than ever before. Numerous people in German hospitals depend on it. Its production and filling not only requires technical expertise of the highest standard. Someone wishing to supply medical oxygen to hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities must strictly comply with the requirements of the Medicinal Products Act (AMG), especially during production and filling. The relevant authorities check this very closely.
The same strict guidelines apply to the production of medical oxygen as to other pharmaceuticals. The background: people breathe it in unfiltered. Purity is therefore crucial for medical oxygen. It is filled in pressurized gas cylinders - usually in sizes of two and ten liters. Nippon Gases Deutschland has a separate cylinder park for medical oxygen at all production sites, which is clearly separated from those for other gas products.
Filling station for medical oxygen to go into operation in July
Nippon Gases Germany has applied for a manufacturing license for medical oxygen as a pharmaceutical. The corresponding acceptance and testing date by the Tübingen Regional Council will take place in mid-July. Subsequently, the new station at the Bopfingen site will be taken into operation. "By expanding and strengthening this area of operations, we are, on the one hand, further enhancing security of supply for Baden-Württemberg and Bavarian hospitals, medical practices and other medical facilities. On the other hand, we are securing and creating further jobs locally and impressively demonstrating our technical expertise," says Michael Giesen, Operations Director PAG & DI Germany.
"As "The Gas Professionals", Nippon Gases Germany has the knowledge, experience, prerequisites and expertise to develop such an innovative and modern filling plant in-house," says Kai Schäfer, Productivity & Project Manager PAG & DI Germany and the main person responsible for implementing the project. "Our project team did a very good job across all functional areas in the company."
The special feature of this plant is an integrated fully automated analytics. It eliminates potential sources of error and optimizes quality assurance. "Throughout the company, we are breaking new ground here in the quality control of medical gases, which we have now implemented for the first time at the Bopfingen plant," explains pharmacist Dr. Christoph Sonntag, Head of Medical and Quality and Qualified Person according to AMG at Nippon Gases Germany.
Bopfingen: Partner to industry and building block in clinical care
The Bopfingen site is not only an important partner for industry by supplying important technical gases, but in the future it will also be a central component in the clinical supply of medical oxygen. In addition, there is the product oxygen PHARMA in pharmacopoeia quality. It is also filled at the site and used as a pharmaceutical process gas in the drug or active ingredient manufacturing processes of corresponding manufacturers.
Numbers
The Bopfingen site has served as a filling and production location for gas products since 1997. Around 20 employees are currently involved in the production and sale of these products, some of which are highly specialized.
The plant supplies users in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, within a radius of a about 350 kilometers.
About Nippon Gases Deutschland GmbH
Nippon Gases is one of the leading industrial and medical gases companies in Europe and is part of the Japanese Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation (NSHD). NSHD is also the parent company of Taiyo Nippon Sanso's industrial gases business in Japan, the American Matheson Tri-Gas Group, companies in East Asia and Oceania, and the "Thermos" business. More than 19,000 people work for the Group in 28 countries worldwide. Together they are "The Gas Professionals" and have the goal: "The Gas Professionals" und haben das Ziel: "Making life better through gas technology."
In Europe, we are present in 13 countries and with more than 100 production sites. Our success is based on our approximately 2,950 employees, 27 percent of whom are women. As "gas professionals," we supply more than 150,000 customers from a wide range of industries, including the metal, chemical, electronics, automotive and food industries, as well as the medical sector.
Safety, number one priority of the company, is constantly improving. To do this, we analyze risk factors and risky behavior to eliminate them, and also ensure strict compliance with our safety principles by all our employees. Our commitment to customers, employees, partners and the communities in which we operate reflects our commitment to the environment and sustainability. The company is also a major player in the industry in Germany and is certified to ISO 9001, 13485, 14001, 22000 and 50001. With twelve own locations and almost 250 sales partners, Nippon Gases has a nationwide presence. The managing director of Nippon Gases Germany is Frank Wegmann. Further information at nippongases.com /en
Photo with courtesy of Mr. Martin Bauch, Bopfingen