Steris Ast expands its European clean-up

Sterilisation specialist, Steris Ast, reveals investment plans to support the European medical device industry

What do you look for in a sterilisation supplier?  Reliability?  Innovative sterilisation solutions?  Continuity of supply? Steri Ast, formerly known as Synergy Health, asked this very question, which resulted in multi-million pound expansion projects across the EMEA region.

Industry training

In order to ensure employees have first class technological and regulatory compliance knowledge, Steris Ast offers a training programme.  Its 2016 scheme will begin with its annual conference at the beginning of March – this event will focus on topics associated with terminal sterilisation and aseptic manufacturing.  As well as in-house experts, the conference will feature guest speakers from BSI, European Medical Contract Manufacturing BV (EMCM), Associates of Cape Cod (ACC) and Anecto together with a keynote speaker discussing challenges and pitfalls of device development.  This is the third annual conference highlighting the continued requirement to support the training and development needs of the European medical device industry.  

Steri Ast offers a range of training and educational opportunities from webinars to tailored workshops and bespoke customer training, allowing companies to specifically focusing on their organisation’s sterilisation requirements.  

Supply chain innovation

Steri Ast says it understands the importance of listening to its customers paying specific attention to supply chain innovation which has resulted in an investment of over £18m in expansions to support customers’ requirements. It adds that customers of the technology neutral supplier will benefit from increased global capacity in radiation (gamma, electron beam and X-ray), ethylene oxide and laboratories.  

The European phase of the expansion project will provide increased gamma capacity in Ede, Netherlands and Bradford, UK.  Radeberg, Germany will benefit from expansions in both gamma and electron beam in addition to an expansion of the warehouse.

Other projects the company has been carting out include a new laboratory which is under construction in Radeberg and the expansion of the facility in Seriate, Italy, both of which will strengthen the regional network supporting the medical device and pharmaceutical testing requirements.

Research and development

As the European medical device industry continues to lead with innovate products, Steris Ast has made further investments in research and development to support industry innovation.  A new R&D gamma testing irradiator has been installed in Marcoule, France using a design capable of providing specific targeted doses.

A global integrated network

As a full service supplier, Steri Ast says that all its sterilisation services are fully supported by a first-class network of laboratories.  The new laboratory in Radeberg is being created to support the strong growth in customers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland using this facility and sister sites in Allershausen, Germany and Daniken, Switzerland. The laboratory will offer the ability to test according to ISO 11137 with bioburden, environmental and LAL testing facilities and a GMP compliant class 7 cleanroom.

Mark Botting, EMEA laboratory business director said "We are pleased that the Steri Ast board has agreed to further investment in the EMEA Laboratory network and this will support the strong network we already have in the UK, Netherlands, Ireland and Italy which has supported the regulatory requirements of our customer base for over 20 years.”