Avantor has added a manufacturing plant in Changzhou, China through the acquisition of single-use bag and system producer RIM Bio.

The acquisition – financials of which have not been divulged – brings Avantor a facility in China that produces single-use systems including 2D bags, 3D bags, tank liners, bag assemblies and multi-bag manifolds used in the manufacturing of biologics, vaccines, and advanced therapies.

Avantor said the addition of its first Asian single-use facility will help boost its global capabilities and capacity on the back of continued demand.

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“Adding RIM Bio enables Avantor to better serve our customers by expanding our single-use manufacturing, distribution, and cleanroom capabilities to the AMEA region,” Ger Brophy, EVP of Biopharma Production at Avantor, said.

“RIM serves as an anchor for us to build our presence in this key region, as we better position Avantor to capture long-term opportunities in the growing, global Bioproduction space.”

The acquisition comes weeks after Avantor announced plans to expand its single-use manufacturing footprint by 30% in the United States and Europe.

Sean DeFusco, general manager of single-use solutions/fluid handling at Avantor, told us at the time that investments in single-use come off the back of continued demand in the biopharma space for single-use, with a COVID-19 tailwind driving demand further.

“The industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has relied heavily on the integration of single-use products into biopharma production processes due to the nature of their efficacy and safety,” he said. However, “the investment will also support growing customer demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), novel cell and gene therapies for oncology and other diseases, as well as vaccines.”