SKAN Group, a specialist in high-quality isolator systems for aseptic production processes in the (bio)pharmaceutical industry, has completed an order for Switzerland-based cannabis producer Cannerald.
With an average production output of 18 tonnes per year and a production area covering 15,300 sqm, Cannerald is currently the largest producer of indoor-cultivated cannabis, and has brought SKAN on board to help with its new facility.
With production, cleanroom, laboratory and drying room all housed under one roof, the facility has all the infrastructure it needs.
The production areas are decontaminated at the touch of a button thanks to room decontamination with H2O2 from SKAN
Right from the start, adherence to quality standards was valued very highly. The company prizes sustainability, and the facility uses 100% renewable energy.
The Cannerald production team cultivates the plants at various stages and in various areas before the plants spend around 14 days in the drying room in special climate conditions. Meanwhile, the research team is continually working on maintaining quality control and effective processes. Different varieties of cannabis can be tested for efficacy and adaptability to different disease patterns by extracting substances called metabolites.
Cannerald will also soon become one of the first cannabis producers in Europe to establish a GMP area for the production of pharmaceuticals.
SKAN's role
In the laboratory, the sensitive plants are tested for microorganisms to make sure they are free of mould, fungi and bacteria.
This is part of Cannerald’s high-quality standards.
To create a safe environment for the product and the user, Cannerald relies on the Kojair Platinum safety cabinet from SKAN.
The production areas are decontaminated at the touch of a button thanks to room decontamination with H2O2 from SKAN. This keeps room unavailability to a minimum, allowing the indoor cultivation process to start again as quickly as possible.
SKAN's invests in Aseptic Technologies
SKAN Group has also recently increased its stake in the Belgian subsidiary Aseptic Technologies as planned.
As of May 2023, it has acquired a further 5% of the shares from the co-owner, Wallonie Entreprendre (WE), increasing its shareholding to 85%
The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
According to the contractual agreement with WE, SKAN will acquire a further tranche of 5% by 2026 at the latest. WE will remain a 10% shareholder and continue to support Aseptic Technologies and SKAN.
Aseptic Technologies is of strategic importance for the SKAN Group. The automated, robot-assisted process solutions for filling closed vials (AT-Closed Vial (registered trademark) Technology) target applications in cell and gene therapy and thus a strongly growing therapeutic segment. Aseptic Technologies' customers have approximately 400 compounds in research and clinical trials, several of which are in the final stages of development before market approval.
The commercialisation of new drugs will increase the demand for AT-Closed Vials and thus the volume in the Services & Consumables segment.
As a result of the increase of the stake in Aseptic Technologies, SKAN Group AG's indirectly held interest in Plast4Life also increases to 20.8%. Plast4Life is a company in Belgium that is still being built up and will be manufacturing AT-Closed Vials in the future using the plastic injection moulding process.
