SHL announced plans this week to expand production facilities in Taiwan. A leader in the field of drug delivery devices such as auto injectors and pen injectors, SHL has continued to invest heavily in facilities, advanced machinery and R&D. With the rapid growth of the biologic injectable market, device suppliers are under pressure to broaden the range of services that they can provide. SHL has responded by making significant capital investments such as the $40m that will be spent this year alone.

CEO Roger Samuelsson commented; "Five years ago I signed a letter of intent with the Taiwan government promising to invest $100m here. We kept our promise and even completed that investment early. Now we will spend another $40m for 2013. Our auto injector business is one of the key drivers to this expansion of production capacity. Our customers are bringing more biologics to market and SHL is going to ensure that we meet their needs."

This year SHL will invest primarily in molding, material handling, assembly and automation capabilities. Production will be ramped up at several facilities in Taiwan, Taoyuan One and various NanKan sites. Increased capacity will allow SHL the flexibility to provide higher quantities of devices each month. In addition to auto injectors, SHL produces pen injectors, infusors and inhaler systems. The company now has well over 2,200 staff globally and will be hiring several hundred new employees in Taiwan this year.