Ceremonial groundbreaking kicks off the first construction phase

• Pharmaceutical service provider advances its expansion with a 50,000 sqm facility
• Strategic investments in the EU and US strengthen Vetter’s global footprint 
• Groundbreaking ceremony featuring state and regional representatives, and project partners

Vetter, a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), is celebrating the start of construction on its new site in Saarlouis with a traditional groundbreaking ceremony today. During the first construction phase, the company will build a state-of-the-art facility for the commercial production of injectable drugs on the 95-acre industrial site. In total, Vetter will invest almost half a billion euros in the site by the planned commissioning in 2031, underscoring its role as an industry leader for quality and technology. Once operational, the facility will create 400 to 500 new jobs, a figure that could rise to 1,500 by the final stage of the first construction phase. Ultimately, up to 2,000 jobs could be created.

In the first expansion phase, Vetter will build a 50,000 sqm manufacturing site, along with production-related facilities including laboratories and warehouses. Initially, three state-of-the-art cleanrooms are planned for the aseptic production of innovative and complex drug products: two for filling pre-sterilised syringes and one for filling vials.

Executives and officials at the groundbreaking ceremony

Senator h.c. Udo J. Vetter, Chairman of the Advisory Board and member of the owner family: “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a decisive step for the future of our family business. With our new location in Saarlouis, we are setting the course for further sustainable growth. We are creating the conditions to further expand our capacities in the field of complex drug product manufacturing. This underlines our continuous approach to offer our international customers the resources, quality and reliability they need and are accustomed to from us.”

Anke Rehlinger, Minister President of Saarland: “Today is a good day for Saarland. With Vetter, a strong and innovative company, new opportunities are opening up for the region and its people. Here in Saarlouis, it is clear, that structural change succeeds when we actively shape it.”

Jürgen Barke, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of Saarland: “An advanced technology investment of this kind positions us as one of the most sought-after locations for the pharmaceutical industry and demonstrates how transformation succeeds: with new, sustainable jobs and a strong, future-oriented industry. This will set off ripple effects unlike anything we have experienced before.”

Global investments in the future

For over 75 years, Vetter has stood for quality, innovation and responsibility, helping patients worldwide to achieve a better quality of life. In order to meet the growing demand and increasing market requirements, the CDMO is sustainably investing in its pharmaceutical production sites in Germany, Austria and the US. With its new location in Saarlouis, Vetter is significantly expanding its capacities once again.