A pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Huddersfield has announced its new multi-million-pound, high-speed production line.

Thornton & Ross says it will increase capacity for making the disinfectant brand, Zoflora which has gone through unprecedented growth.

With the old facility producing sixty million bottles of Zoflora each year, the new 600 sq m technology-lead bottling and filling line has increased output by 100% to 18,000 bottles an hour, which will enable the opening of new distribution outlets.

Vice president of UK Operations at Thornton & Ross, Mark Kirkup, said: “The new high-tech line means T&R is now in a privileged position to satisfy the considerable increase in demand for Zoflora, which has been driven further by Covid-19 in recent months.

“It simply would not have been possible to cater to this increased demand prior the substantial investment from STADA.

“Getting the facility up and running so quickly was crucial, and made possible by our build partners, Haden Freeman and Hawkins Construction.

At a time when other companies may look to rein in investment in innovation and new product development, T&R is pushing ahead to be a partner-of-choice for those looking to license new ideas, technologies and products across the over-the-counter, CHC and generics sectors, as well as packaging and other features.

The company has acquired 21 former GSK brands over the past 12 months, giving Thornton & Ross and its parent company a much large footprint in Europe’s CHC market.

Executive vice president of Thornton & Ross, Roger Scarlett-Smith said: “STADA’s largest UK investment to date demonstrates its commitment to the Huddersfield site being a Centre of Excellence.

“As T&R’s 100^th year in business approaches, we’re building on that long heritage and combining it with new ideas to refresh well-established brands such as Covonia®, as well as to create market-leading franchises like Hedrin® through patented technologies.

The launch of the new Zoflora line forms an integral part of T&R’s plans to expand, including the creation of 40 new permanent positions across the company.

Thornton & Ross now boasts over 500 employees in various departments which include manufacturing, order processing , quality control packing and maintenance.