Who are Aspen Group?
A South African company, Aspen is a leading world supplier of branded and generic pharmaceutical products. Aspen products are distributed in 150 countries across the globe, in 3 therapeutic categories: thrombosis, anaesthetics and cytotoxins. The company has 16 pharmaceutical production sites on 6 continents (North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe) and more than 9 800 employees worldwide. The only French site the group has is in Normandy, with 800 employees. Aspen deals with the whole pharmaceutical process, from the production of active substances through to final packaging, including all quality controls.
In which sector is the company present?
Aspen Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville is specialised in making sterile products, from the production of active substances to the finished pharmaceutical products. Recognised as a site of pharmaceutical excellence, a worldwide reference for making sterile products for more than 50 years, the Normandy site exports over 92% of its production worldwide.
Why choose Normandy?
Aspen set up its site in 2014, taking over a site belonging to GSK. The choice was made easier because Normandy is a strategic French region for pharmaceutical production, offering many advantages for companies, including highly qualified staff in the scientific and pharmaceutical fields; universities and research centres offering access to the latest scientific and technological advances; specialised subcontractors for the installation and maintenance of pharmaceutical equipment; as well as modern infrastructure and international transport networks. All of these help with the logistics and distribution of pharmaceutical products across the globe, andare key in positioning Normandy as a strategic location for the development of Aspen.
Regional assistance:
Since setting up in Normandy, Aspen has regularly invested in modernising the site and the development of its production capacities. This represented an investment of €180m between 2014 and 2021. AD Normandie and its partners have been assisting Aspen Pharma in its investment and enlargement projects, with its different aid programmes (innovation, environment, recruitment).
What future for Aspen in Normandy?
The Normandy site, in parallel with the production investments, is also committed to reducing its carbon footprint. This commitment can be seen in its projects relating to staff commuting and travelling, investments in heat recovery and the use of solar energy production.
Normandy is a major region for the pharmaceutical industry. It is the leading French region in the health industry sector, second for pharmaceuticals and third for the production of medications.
