Trelleborg Sealing Solutions continues to broaden its global footprint in the North American life sciences industry with a $ 7.3 million expansion and relocation of its Hudson, Mass., facility. The new manufacturing and development site located in Northborough, Mass., will be in the same industrial park as Trelleborg’s current Airframe Seals facility.

Scheduled to open first quarter 2013, the new facility will manufacture silicone products for original equipment manufacturers and end users in the life sciences industry, which includes pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology and patient care fields. It will also expand the precision liquid injection molding (LIM) capabilities utilizing liquid silicone rubber (LSR) and cleanroom production facilities. Like the Hudson plant, it will continue to be an FDA, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 registered facility, and will have an ISO class 7 and 8 cleanroom.  The new facility will also be expanding its quality certification to include ISO 13485.

James Hederman, the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions product manager for life sciences in North America, says the 43,000 square foot/3,995 square meter expansion will be a 40 percent increase over the existing facility. “It’s not just expanding capacity, but also bringing expertise in liquid injection molding with liquid silicone rubber from our Switzerland facility to the U.S. Trelleborg’s drive is to broaden its serviceability and product offering in North America.

“It will be one of our most technically advanced facilities, with full automation.  This will allow current employees and potential new employees in the local community to be part of a growing market within a state-of-the-art facility.

“Having a strong presence in North America is critical,” continues Hederman. “Much of the R&D within life sciences is brought to market via North America and the U.S. However, the need within the life sciences industry is global. As a result, Trelleborg has seen the need to have the most technically advanced international facilities to address this marketplace. We have facilities in Switzerland, China, Bulgaria and Spain.”

Trelleborg, a global industrial group whose leading positions are based on advanced polymer technology and in-depth applications know-how, purchased SF Medical in 2005 and operations within Switzerland’s Silcotech Group in 2011. Replicating LSR expertise worldwide gives global presence and capabilities for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in the life sciences market.