SCHOTT looks to expand North American business following year of growth 

Mainz, Germany-based glass vial manufacturer SCHOTT grew its sales in the United States by 11.1% in 2021 to more than $530.6 million. 

The pharmaceutical products maker recently announced that it would be restructuring its presence in North America to align operations with its most robust sales market.  

The announcement followed the company’s most succesful business year to date, with the company bringing in €2.5 billion in sales internationnaly. 

The year also marked another successful year of vaccine vial production from the German company’s South Lebanon Township glass manufacturing plant, according to SCHOTT. 

“We adjusted our strategy to focus on the U.S. and activities in markets where we anticipate long-term growth. We have already recognized gains from that pivot and are well positioned to have an even better year in 2022,” said Bill James, vice president of R&D and new ventures at SCHOTT North America. “Our optimized presence in the U.S. will bring greater innovation and add to the sterling reputation that SCHOTT has built for generations.” 

SCHOTT has provided vaccine vials from its South Lebanon Township Facility for the past decade. In the midst of the pandemic, the plant had to ramp up production to a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week operation to keep up with orders. 

In 2021, SCHOTT’s pharmaceutical systems business unit increased manufacturing capacity to help the company produce vials for five billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. SCHOTT underwent a multimillion-dollar investment at the Lebanon facility that tripled its capacity for pre-sterilized, ready-to-use glass vials and provided various facility upgrades. 

Outside of Lebanon, 2021 saw SCHOTT make a series of efforts to expand its bandwidth in the United States, including the acquisition of Phoenix, Arizona-based Applied Microarrays, which included a manufacturing facility specialized in point-of-care microfluidic devices. 

The company has also seen a growth in demand for its CERAN glass-ceramic cooktops, manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky and Vincennes, Indiana. 

Across the country, SCHOTT manages seven production sites, one R&D center, a sales office and roughly 1,000 employees. 

“Over the past several years, we have invested $60 million in the U.S., and additional investments will accelerate our strategy of profitable growth and allow us to concentrate our activities on markets where we expect strong, sustainable development,” said Dr. Heinz Kaiser, a board member at SCHOTT responsible for the group’s business in North America.