Siegfried, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), established a new drug substance facility for the manufacturing of large-scale active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Minden, Germany.
Construction commenced in August 2022 and the facility was officially inaugurated in June 2026. The company invested up to SFr100m ($125.9m) in the site.
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The plant reinforces Siegfried’s role as a global CDMO for small-molecule drug substances. It expands the company’s capacity to help clients with sophisticated, high‑quality and scalable API manufacturing programmes.
Location
Siegfried’s new drug substance facility is situated at the company’s existing site in Minden, north-eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Siegfried drug substance facility details
Siegfried’s new drug substance facility features modern technology and is developed in line with high sustainability standards. It provides an additional 100m³ of reactor capacity, expanding the company’s large-scale drug substances offering.
The plant integrates state-of-the-art processing technology, extensive automation and high-containment functionality. Capabilities such as gravity-flow processing, radio-frequency identification supported batch and recipe control, and improved solvent management help deliver manufacturing that is efficient, safe and dependable.
The facility also enables Siegfried to broaden its large-scale API portfolio, while sharpening its strategic emphasis on a strong production network, operational performance and reliable long-term collaborations with pharmaceutical clients.
Siegfried’s API process technology details
Siegfried combines strong scientific capability with an international manufacturing footprint to supply dependable, high-quality APIs, supporting programmes from early development through to commercial production.
The company’s API process and chemical development capabilities help clients deliver manufacturing solutions that are scalable, commercially efficient and reliable, aligned with the demands of the intended market.
Siegfried’s laboratories and production facilities are configured to support a broad spectrum of organic chemical reactions and enzyme-catalysed transformations. Operating conditions span temperatures from -100°C to 300°C and pressures from one millibar to 40 bar.
By combining laboratory automation with integrated analytical technologies, the company captures process data efficiently, thereby shortening development timelines and enhancing the understanding of key reaction parameters.
Furthermore, the company conducts the synthesis and analysis of high-potency materials, with occupational exposure limits as low as 1microgram/m³, in purpose-built, segregated laboratory areas.
Siegfried also places strong emphasis on crystallisation and isolation, given their direct impact on yield and purity. It develops processes for defined crystal forms and particle size distributions, supported by analytical methods and supplemented with milling. Other methods to adjust physical form include spray drying, micronisation and pre-formulation blends.
Siegfried’s Minden site details
The Minden site is one of Siegfried’s five run and deliver sites, and focuses on the synthesis of APIs and intermediates.
Founded in 1935, the site is geared towards efficient operations and specialised technologies, with production capabilities ranging from around 25kg to several hundred tonnes.
The facility offers a wide range of technological options including hydrogenation, organometallic and hydride chemistry, milling and micronisation, halogenation and other process technologies.
Approximately 70% of raw materials and supplies are transported to the plant by rail, and around 17,000t of products are shipped from the Minden facility annually.
A quality control lab, occupying 600m², was opened in August 2024 at the site.
Contactors involved
IKR, an industrial pipeline and plant construction company and part of the ERBUD Group, was responsible for the construction of the facility.
Marketing commentary on Siegfried
Headquartered in Zofingen, Switzerland, Siegfried’s activities cover the manufacture of pharmaceutical active ingredients and intermediates, as well as finished drug products including ampoules, capsules, cartridges, ointments, sterile vials and tablets.
The company also provides pharmaceutical-grade caffeine for use in both medicinal and nutritional applications and associated development services.
The API portfolio includes controlled substances, with a focus on anaesthetics, analgesics, decongestants, addiction treatment products and various other therapeutic categories. The API products are supplied to customers in more than 70 countries. The company operates 16 sites across Australia, China, France, Germany, Malta, Spain, Switzerland and the US. In 2025, the company reported sales of SFr1.33bn and a workforce of more than 3,800 employees.
