Alfa Laval has launched a dedicated Food & Pharma Division to streamline pharmaceutical production and improve efficiency worldwide (Photo: Alfa Laval)
Amid rising global demand for medicines and mounting supply chain pressures, Alfa Laval, a leading industrial company focussed on heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling technologies, has launched a dedicated Food & Pharma Division to streamline pharmaceutical production and improve efficiency worldwide.
In a press statement, Alfa Laval says that the move is part of a broader restructuring aimed at aligning the company’s expertise in separation, heat transfer and fluid handling with the evolving needs of drug manufacturers.
The statement adds that the division will work with pharmaceutical companies to scale up production, particularly for generic and biosimilar medicines, while supporting innovation in patented drugs.
Also Read: Improper disposal of pharmaceuticals poses risk to environment, says OECD
The company said it will expand its pharma workforce and increase investment in research and operations over the next four years.
The Swedish industrial firm adds that the reorganisation comes as pharmaceutical companies face pressure to optimise productivity, manage costs and navigate stricter regulatory frameworks. Supply chain disruptions linked to geopolitical tensions and climate-related risks have added to the challenges.
Alfa Laval says its global presence would help manufacturers improve supply chain efficiency and reduce risks, while also supporting faster regulatory approvals through collaborative development models.
Sammy Hulpiau
It says that water use and environmental compliance are central to the new division’s mandate. Pharmaceutical production is highly water-intensive, and tightening global regulations require companies to limit wastewater discharge. Alfa Laval says it will focus on improving water reuse and reducing environmental impact through its engineering solutions.
The company also pointed to lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, which accelerated the adoption of flexible manufacturing systems such as single-use equipment. These approaches are now being integrated into pharmaceutical production to shorten development cycles and improve scalability.
Also Read: Global Knowledge Campus to host first International Pharmaceutical Conference
The restructuring aligns with broader demographic trends identified by the United Nations, which projects the global population to exceed 10 billion by 2060, with a growing share of elderly people and increased demand for medicines.
The statement adds that the new division is designed to help pharmaceutical companies respond to these pressures by improving efficiency, ensuring compliance and maintaining supply continuity.
Doug Osman
“Secure supplies of safe and affordable medicine are needed now more than ever before. At Alfa Laval, we are committed to pioneering and empowering the pharmaceutical industry to push the boundaries of speed and scalability. With our embedded expertise and industry-leading pharmaceutical manufacturing solutions, we will support customers to innovate and produce the medicine of tomorrow, improving health, resilience, longevity and accessibility for a growing and ageing global population,” says Sammy Hulpiau, President, Alfa Laval Food & Pharma Division.
“With class leading technologies and the expertise to apply these solutions to pharmaceutical production, we empower our customers to continuously optimise their processes and achieve a superior TCO and ROI. We also have the capacity and commitment for collaborative development to scale up innovations to industrial production quickly, while increasing patent windows and supporting swift regulatory approvals,” says Doug Osman, Strategic Business Developer, Alfa Laval Pharma.
Eline Suijlen
“In this demanding development environment, we – like many others – were forced to employ new methods to achieve the results desperately needed. It changed our approach to single-use equipment, for example, and how this may be applied to drastically speed up R&D, because of the inherent flexibility and rapid prototyping of single-use systems. We now enjoy the benefits of these learnings as a more capable organization as we face up to new challenges with respect to demographics, geopolitics and climate change. We are acutely aware of the challenges that the industry faces. At Alfa Laval we have the experience, expertise, and with our new Food & Pharma Divisional structure, we are well equipped to support customers and take on these challenges successfully,” says Osman.
“Pharmaceutical production is typically extremely water intensive and is also subject to a number of growing regulations worldwide, driving it to reduce the release of pharmaceutical residues in its wastewater to zero. Thanks to Alfa Laval’s long engagement and expertise in the water sector, we continuously help pharmaceutical producers to enhance water reuse to safeguard water security and comply with regulations for industrial outlet,” says Eline Suijlen, Water Industry & Strategic Partnership Manager at Alfa Laval.