Infrareal takes over pharmaceutical and biotech site in Orth, Lower Austria

“Over the last 40 years and more, Orth an der Donau has developed into a centre of excellence for the pharmaceutical and life science industries, focusing on gene and cell therapy and biologics. Our expertise will help us to further expand the site, and we are hoping to attract more companies from these industries,” explains Dr Martin Egger, CEO and spokesperson for the management of Infrareal.

"With Infrareal, we have found an experienced pharmaceutical and life science site operator who plans to further develop the Orth site and who can build on the existing knowledge. We are pleased to have found a buyer who shares our ambitions for sustainable processes and site decarbonization," said Matt Payne, Head of Global Biologics Operating Unit at Takeda.

Infrareal will be responsible for all services at the site via its subsidiary PharmaparkOrth Management GmbH. These include services such as media supply, recycling, other infrastructure and engineering services as well as site development. “One key component of Infrareal’s philosophy is that we, as the owner and operator, continue to develop our sites. This also includes marketing any free space, promoting the decarbonisation of our locations and contributing our strengths in pharmaceutical logistics and on-site technology,” says Dr Martin Egger.

Infrareal can boast many years of experience in the development and operations of pharma sites. Marburg is not the only location where Infrareal and its subsidiaries offer wide-ranging industry solutions in the fields of real estate, technology and logistics. In Orth, 34 employees in the areas of infrastructure and engineering will transition from Takeda to PharmaparkOrth Management GmbH. Their local expertise will be a great advantage when running and further developing the site.

With the planned takeover, Infrareal is realising its published strategy of becoming one of the leading operators of pharmaceutical and biotech locations in German-speaking countries. The planned acquisition of the site in Orth also forms part of this strategy. In addition to the existing buildings and facilities, the available free space will also be developed and marketed to generate further growth. Infrareal will harvest synergies and innovative infrastructure solutions to ensure cost savings and transparent pricing models, thereby creating long-term prospects for the partner companies on site.

“Together with our owners Swiss Life Asset Managers and Gelsenwasser AG, we will be pursuing a long-term growth strategy for our locations. This creates security for our customers and employees while forming the basis for sustainable development. Orth offers an ideal environment for biopharmaceutical companies,” explains Dr Martin Egger, referring to the successful operations of Behringwerke Marburg and Pharmapark Jena.

As a service company with over 800 employees, Infrareal cares particularly about a holistic and sustainable people strategy and shared values. These include transparent communication, accountability, cooperation across different departments as well as a clear commitment to sustainability goals.

Orth is an attractive location for international companies in the biopharmaceutical industry because of the facilities and infrastructure available at the Pharmapark, its highly qualified employees and its proximity to Vienna International Airport and the Austrian capital. In addition to Takeda, another big pharmaceutical company is also located at the Orth site. “We are excited about the new addition to the Infrareal Group and feel certain of the potential of the pharmaceutical and biotech location in Orth,” explains Peter Michael Weimar, COO of Infrareal and Managing Director of PharmaparkOrth Management GmbH.

www.infrareal.de