Rottendorf Pharma, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), is constructing a new oral solid dosage (OSD) manufacturing facility in Oelde, Germany.
The site is intended to increase the company’s production capacity for solid oral dosage forms and will complement its headquarters and existing manufacturing operations in Ennigerloh.
Recommended Buyers Guides
The first phase involves an investment of more than €30m ($33.4m) while the total investment is expected to exceed €100m ($111.4m) by the final phase of expansion.
Construction on the facility was commenced in June 2026. Upon completion, the facility is anticipated to increase annual output from approximately five billion tablets to as many as ten billion tablets.
The initial phase is expected to create around 20 to 50 roles across pharmaceutical production and logistics, subject to capacity utilisation and customer demand. Longer-term recruitment plans cover production, laboratory operations, packaging, logistics, and administration.
Location of Rottendorf Pharma’s facility
Rottendorf Pharma’s OSD production facility is under construction on a largely undeveloped greenfield site within the Oelde A2 industrial park in Germany. The site is directly connected to the A2 motorway, providing road links between eastern and western Germany.
The industrial park initially covered 330,000m² (3.5 million square feet) of commercial space and was later expanded by approximately 170,000m².
The greenfield location enables the production areas to be designed and configured according to future product requirements and process needs.
The Oelde facility is located 9km from Ennigerloh, the company’s headquarters, which is called Rottendorf Campus.
Rottendorf Pharma oral solid dosage facility’s details
The Oelde oral solid dosage facility will have 3,000m² of floor space, incorporating ground-floor operations, pharmaceutical production areas, and Class D cleanrooms. It will include a production hall with integrated logistics infrastructure. The second floor will include technical areas and changing rooms
The campus layout incorporates capacity for future additions, including further production areas, laboratory facilities, and ancillary infrastructure.
The Rottendorf Campus in Oelde will be equipped to handle materials classified within Occupational Exposure Bands (OEBs) 4 and 5.
Top of Form
The project includes several sustainability measures, for which Rottendorf is targeting DGNB Gold certification. Electricity supply for the facility will be supported by a planned on-site photovoltaic system.
Rottendorf Pharma’s commercial manufacturing capabilities
Rottendorf Pharma manufactures a range of solid dosage forms, including film-coated tablets, coated tablets, multilayer tablets, hard capsules, mini-tablets, granules, and pellets.
Its manufacturing facilities hold certifications from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), and other national regulatory authorities.
The company produces commercial batches weighing up to 750kg in its bulk manufacturing area. Its development centre, which is FDA-approved and compliant with good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements, produces commercial batches ranging from 2kg to 150kg.
The manufacturing technologies used by Rottendorf include dry granulation, free-flow granulation, and direct tabletting. The company also uses melt extrusion and melt granulation to improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients. Additional capabilities include encapsulation and coating.
Marketing commentary on Rottendorf Pharma
Founded in 1928, Rottendorf Pharma specialises in the development and manufacturing of oral solid dosage forms. It has been active in manufacturing and packaging, as well as formulation and analytical process development for the international pharmaceutical industry.
Headquartered in Ennigerloh, Münsterland, Germany, the company operates with 1,400 employees and manufactures six billion tablets per year.
With a total of 18 packaging lines, the company’s facility is located near its headquarters.
