Argenta, a New Zealand-owned company dedicated to the provision of services to create, develop and manufacture products for the global animal health industry, has entered an agreement to acquire the manufacturing facility and operations of Elanco Animal Health in Dundee, Scotland.
The acquisition is an important step in Argenta’s EU growth strategy and follows the company’s successful expansion into the United States in 2016, with the purchase of a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Elanco and Argenta have also entered into a manufacturing and supply agreement for select Elanco animal health products. The acquisition is anticipated to close at the beginning of Q2 2017. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Dr. Doug Cleverly, Argenta’s managing director and co-founder, says having a manufacturing presence in the EU will enable the company to better the services it offers clients around the world, and continue its expansion into the European market.
“The Dundee site has a strong focus on quality, as well as excellent capacity and technical capabilities, and will greatly complement our other Argenta facilities. This is critical as all Argenta manufacturing sites are fuelled by the research and development of new animal health products, which keeps the manufacturing portfolio fresh and helps position the Argenta group as a premier, innovation-driven, international Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO),” he says.
The 80,000-square-foot Dundee facility will be Argenta’s third manufacturing site globally, and the company’s first operations in the EU. It encompasses a manufacturing plant, laboratories and warehouse spaces for the production of a broad range of high-quality animal health products, including non-sterile liquids, suspensions, and gels.
There are 118 Elanco employees at the facility in Dundee. As part of the sale of the site, Elanco will follow the UK consultation process and applicable laws governing the transfer of employees to Argenta.
“We recognise and welcome the additional capabilities that the Scottish workforce will bring to the business, and look forward to a seamless transition and joining the Dundee community over the coming months,” says Dr. Cleverly.
| An Argenta release | February 3, 2017 ||
Aluminium extruders from several countries have came together in december 2016 to form a new trade group dedicated to promoting and defending fair trade practices in their industry.
The newly-formed International Fair Trade Alliance (IFTA) was announced via press release on Tuesday. The non-profit organization’s mission is to assemble aluminium extrusion manufacturers and suppliers the world over to promote free trade within their sector. The new alliance is made up of extruders from North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Israel.
“Our alliance believes that a network of market-based aluminium extrusion companies and associations can work together to support, teach, and advocate fair trade practices at a national and international level,” said Jason Weber, director – international market intelligence for Sapa Extrusion North America, and newly-elected chairman of IFTA.
The group was formed to point out and defend against what they see as non-market based economies defeating free enterprise via illegal and unfair trade practices. IFTA says these practices must be confronted both by individual states and by the World Trade Organization.
“We are all seeing illegal and unfair trade tactics from China being exported to other countries,” explained Lewis Saragossi, chairman and managing director of G. James Glass & Aluminum, and representing the Australian Aluminum Extrusion Association on IFTA’s board.
“It is time for our industry to come together as a global community to share data and field intelligence so each of our marketplaces can efficiently and quickly confront these threats,” he went on.
“What we are seeing is the proliferation of Chinese aluminium extrusions throughout South America,” Jochen Münch, commercial director of Ecuadorian extruder Corporación Ecuatoriana de Aluminio Cedal pointed out. “As duties, have been imposed by countries like Australia, Canada, and the US; Chinese extruders are moving into new markets. So, even if you do not feel the threat today, just give it some time and you will.”
IFTA will be managed by The Sanford Organization (TSO) in Chicago. The association management company is led by Jeff Henderson and manages other aluminium advocacy groups, like the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), and the Aluminum Anodizers Council.
| Coutersy of AluminiumInsider | January 3, 2017 ||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242