Gerresheimer expands Georgia plant and makes automation upgrades

Gerresheimer has expanded the production and logistics capacity of its plant in Peachtree City, Georgia.

The German medtech systems and solutions CDMO’s plant manufactures medical devices such as inhalers, infusion system components, microinjectors, test cards for microbiological analyses and autoinjectors about 25 miles outside of Atlanta.

Gerresheimer commissioned two automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs) for pallets from Interlake Mecalux.

“Expanding our Peachtree City plant is a key step toward strengthening our presence in the U.S. and being even closer to our customers in the healthcare industry,” Gerresheimer Global Head of Smart Factory Automation for Medical Systems Tobias Gebhard said in a news release from Mecalux, which cited a “sharp increase in demand for medical supplies” for the expansion.

Gerresheimer began a $180 million, two-stage expansion of its Peachtree City site in 2024. In the first stage, the company built a new 83,000 ft² building directly next to the existing plant. ISO 14644-1 cleanroom class 9 production areas make up more than half (53,800 ft²) of the new building, which includes an automated high-bay warehouse.

In the second stage of expansion, Gerresheimer built a new 110,000 ft² plant located 1.6 miles from the first Peachtree City site, near Atlanta Regional Airport. This location has an additional 77,500 ft² of cleanroom class 9 production space and an automated high-bay warehouse.

“The project has created over 400 new jobs, added state-of-the-art cleanrooms, commissioned highly automated production lines and fully modernised our internal logistics setup,” Gebhard said.

Gerresheimer previously operated with manual processes before transitioning to automated material flows.

“In an environment where every component must be handled with the utmost care, automation adds a new level of control and reliability,” Gebhard said.

Now, according to the news release, “Interlake Mecalux’s Easy WMS warehouse management system tracks the movement of more than 30 medical device SKUs from the production lines. The software assigns each item a location based on its demand level and sends specific instructions to the stacker cranes for transport. This ensures that all devices are immediately available when needed, while maintaining comprehensive, real-time control over every stored unit.”

Gerresheimer’s two new automated warehouses utilize Mecalux’s warehouse management system and store semi-finished products from two different manufacturing plants.

“Both facilities are very similar and were designed to handle components arriving directly from injection moulding production,” the news release said.

The first automated storage and retrieval system stands 13 meters (about 43 feet) tall and accommodates 1,040 pallets, the company said. The AS/RS is equipped with a stacker crane for double-deep racking.

“Pallets enter the system from a side connected to production and are automatically stored,” Mecalux said in the release. “When orders are executed, the pallets are transported from the front of the AS/RS to the shipping area via automated conveyors.”

After installing the first AS/RS, Gerresheimer decided to add the system at its expansion site near Atlanta Regional Airport, the release said. The AS/RS mirrors the first system in height and features, but has an increased capability to accommodate 1,104 pallets.

“Both AS/RSs are outfitted with twin-mast stacker cranes with telescopic forks, designed to handle pallets in double-deep selective pallet racking systems,” Mecaulx said in the release. “These machines automatically transport goods from the AS/RS input points to their assigned locations. When needed for orders, they swiftly move products to the output points for shipping. This ensures that Gerresheimer’s medical devices are handled safely at all times in a highly regulated industry.”

Gebhard said the new automated warehouses increased the plant’s storage capability. “They enable us to operate continuously and guarantee product availability in a facility that runs almost 365 days a year,” he said.

“In the medical industry, there’s no room for error. End-to-end product traceability and control are essential for guaranteeing quality,” Gebhard said.