In February 2013, Rexam announced the extension of its Rexam Healthcare site at La Verpillière, France. The new production unit is now operational and on 2 October 2013 the teams from Rexam Healthcare, Lilly Fergersheim and Lilly Group gathered together to celebrate its official opening.

Built as an extension to the current plant, this new production unit will allow the collaboration started with Lily Laboratories to continue. Rexam Healthcare has been the European supplier of the sub-sets for the Eli Lilly and Company Group's insulin injection pen since 2008.

Following a business review meeting, all of the teams visited the new manufacturing and packaging halls and were able to talk with the operators working on the lines. Accompanied by Marc Haemel, Managing Director of Rexam Healthcare, and members of the management teams from the Lilly Group, Managing Site Director Philippe Gisselaire officially opened the extension before a group of invited guests including the employees involved in the project.

In their speeches the Rexam and Lilly executives paid tribute to the teams without whom none of this would have been possible, and finished by reminding those present of the reasons for the site's success: investment and innovation, creating synergies to optimise cooperation and the complementary nature of the roles present and also optimising skills and knowledge, and especially participation and involvement.

Made up of around ten plastic parts and with a metal spring, this insulin injection pen for treating diabetes is broken down into two sub-sets: the dosage selection mechanism and the protective cap. The glass cartridge filled with insulin which is inserted into the pen is made by the Eli Lilly and Company Group at the Fegersheim site near Strasbourg. The two sub-sets around the medicine cartridge are also assembled at this site during the final assembly process for the pen. Equipment validation processes using stringent protocols allow the injected doses to be reproduced perfectly.

The plant now makes up 17,000 m2 of production space, including 11,300 m2 of clean rooms. The extension covers 3,700 m2 including 2,400 m2 of clean rooms at level 8 according to ISO 14644, and is dedicated entirely to manufacturing components for the pen.

The extension to the Rexam HC site at La Verpillière with more than 300 employees required 15 million euros of investment over 3 years. Around a hundred new jobs have been or will be created at the site between 2008 and 2014 as part of the project.

"We are showing our commitment to respecting the highest quality standards and to maintaining them over the long term. This is also what we are doing at our 14 plants around the world".

Rexam is continuing to show its commitment to the local economy with this new extension. "We are aware that we are an important local employer", explains Site Director Philippe Gisselaire. "We have a long-term commitment here and we owe particular thanks to the local authorities for allowing us to keep on developing the site", he adds.