Ypsomed has a very high level of technological integration: From tool design and manufacturing, to injection molding and assembly, all process steps are performed in-house. Our tool shop is located at our headquarters in Burgdorf, in close proximity to the development department and the laboratory supporting our tool designers and engineers. Injection molding and assembly for our prefilled devices are performed on the same shop floor at our manufacturing locations in Switzerland. As manufacturing sites in Switzerland have grown and reached their capacity limits, Ypsomed opened a new site in Schwerin, Northern Germany in 2019 to cover Ypsomed’s growth needs over the next few years.
Expertise in tool making
At Ypsomed headquarters we run a state-of-the-art toolshop covering the majority of our injection mould tooling needs. With over 35 years of experience we combine traditional methods with the latest toolmaking technologies. Our tool shop allows us to develop and manufacture high precision and multiple cavity tools for new devices and to flexibly increase capacity for existing platforms. This means that a complete range of tools from 1-2 cavity base moulds up to 128 cavity production tooling is supplied in-house. In the adjacent pilot plant, equipped with the same moulding machines as used in our manufacturing sites we test and qualify new tools before they are implemented at one of our commercial manufacturing sites.
The fully integrated tool shop and pilot plant provide flexible and fast response times to fulfill customer’s device requirementsand guarantee outstanding high quality components for our injection devices.
Expertise in injection moulding
Since we commissioned the first injection moulding infrastructure in 1989, we have significantly increased our capacity. Today, with over 170 injection moulding machines of different sizes (25–2800 kN), we manufacture all plastic parts used for our devices in-house. Both single material and two-component, exclusively hot-runner, moulding is performed at Ypsomed utilizing fully compounded materials or colour masterbatch. In combination with bulk and automated tray handling Ypsomed develops the most efficient moulding processes to feed our subassembly manufacturing lines. Our moulding and assembly equipment is fully integrated in the SAP/ERP system including SAP-guided preventative maintenance.
Expertise in assembly
When developing new platform products Ypsomed ensures that the most reliable and economic manufacturing process is selected. Furthermore, Ypsomed strategically invests in flexible infrastructure based on state-of-the-art processes using either flexible, semi-automatic equipment for low annual volumes or high capacity, fully automated equipment for high annual volumes.
In line with the tradition of outstanding Swiss manufacturing quality, we not only invest in the latest equipment but, above all, in refining the competences of our skilled workforce. We thus ensure that every piece of equipment is operated with maximum skill and ability. Moreover, this serves to deepen our knowledge regarding the design and optimisation of the manufacturing processes. Continuous improvement is not just a promise but is an integral part of Ypsomed’s daily activities.
UnoPen, the intuitive dial & dose prefilled pen, and YpsoMate, the 2-step autoinjector family of devices, have been industrialised utilising fully automated manufacturing lines.
Fully automated manufacturing of UnoPen
End Assembly
Combination products are only complete when device components and the primary drug container are assembled, labelled and packaged. Drug and device assembly often takes place at the filling site to reduce time, risk and transport costs. The assembly process requires broad knowledge and experience, which is often not the core competence of the filling site. Ypsomed’s drug & device assembly support is the ideal solution to ensure that the final combination product is assembled according to the underlying device specifications and fulfils all requirements.
Ypsomed works closely with well-known equipment manufacturers to provide ready-to-order final assembly solutions that are tailored to device specific requirements such as assembly forces and inline controls. Assembly systems for low (<150,000 p.a.), mid (<1 million p.a.) and high volumes (>1 million p.a.) are available and multiple lines have already been supplied to pharma customers and contract manufacturing organisations that provide assembly & packaging services Ypsomed experienced industrialization engineers provide on-site support at the final assembly site as required.
