The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring Fujifilm Biotechnologies & Rentschler Biopharma.  

Biologics Manufacturing 
* Fujifilm Biotechnologies Opens $546-M UK Biomanufacturing Expansion 
Appointments 
* Rentschler Biopharma Appoints New COO 

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Biologics Manufacturing 

Fujifilm Biotechnologies Opens $546-M UK Biomanufacturing Expansion 
Fujifilm Biotechnologies has opened an expansion of its biomanufacturing facility in Teesside, UK, funded through a total investment of approximately £400 million ($546 million) from Fujifilm Corporation. The expansions introduces 2,000-L and 5,000-L single-use bioreactors with a total capacity up to 19,000 L to provide small- and mid-scale antibody manufacturing, with the flexibility to expand to support customer programs as needed. The 110,000-square foot manufacturing facility will be operational in the first half of 2026. 

In parallel, the company opened of a Bioprocess Innovation Center, which includes a laboratory for both high-throughput, and continuous process development capabilities and which will operate as a Global Center of Excellence for Biomanufacturing Innovation and Process Development. The over 102,200-square-foot facility doubles the campus’ existing lab footprint and complements the sites’ expanded manufacturing capabilities. 

Source: Fujifilm Biotechnologies 

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Appointments 

Rentschler Biopharma Appoints New COO 
Rentschler Biopharma, a Laupheim, Germany-based CDMO of biologics, has announced the appointment of Veit Bergendahl, PhD, currently head of clinical supply biologicals at Boehringer Ingelheim, as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and member of the Executive Board, effective April 1, 2026. He will succeed Christiane Bardroff, current COO, who has decided to pursue a new professional opportunity outside the company and will leave the company at her own request during the first quarter of this year (2026).  

Bergendahl will be responsible for the operational areas of clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing, engineering and technology, and production automation at Rentschler Biopharma. Prior to joining Rentschler Biopharma, he spent 13 years at Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH & Co KG, holding various roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, as head of clinical supply biologicals, he was responsible for the commissioning and go-live of the biologicals development center at the company’s research and development site in Biberach, Germany, and since 2023, for leading the single-use clinical manufacturing facility equipped with two 2,000-liter bioreactors. Previously, he served as Executive director, Upstream Manufacturing, overseeing a large-scale production facility (10 x15,000L). Earlier roles at Boehringer Ingelheim included leading technology transfer projects from Phase I clinical development through to commercial manufacturing within contract manufacturing operations. Further professional milestones were at Miltenyi Biotec GmbH and Roche (Germany). In the US, he conducted research at the University of Wisconsin and held leadership positions at Cellular Dynamics International. 

Source: Rentschler Biopharma