SCHOTT Pharma expands production of pharmaceutical storage products in Lukácsháza – topping-out ceremony held for new SCHOTT hall

The purpose of the SCHOTT Pharma investment is to expand the existing factory by constructing new production and packaging units. The purpose of STRABAG is to construct the entire building structure: the construction of the clean room, the installation of building services, building electrical and building monitoring systems, as well as the design and implementation of the energy monitoring system. The work also includes the design, licensing and installation of the sprinkler system up to the technological connection points.

Construction in the embrace of stream valleys

The work area, covering more than 13,000 square metres, is located between two stream valleys on fine-grained, clayey soil. The clayey soil, which is prone to volume changes and has no drainage, required special flooring solutions.

During construction, a prefabricated pillar frame structure was built with floor slabs, reinforced concrete stiffening walls and staircase blocks. The foundation was constructed using CFA technology with drilled piles. The work area was secured with sheet metal barriers, and cabinet shafts were also used. During the earthworks, approximately 5,000 cubic metres of soil were excavated, of which approximately 400 cubic metres were used as backfill next to the foundation bodies.

The structure was completed in six months.

At the topping-out ceremony, the project participants – representatives of SCHOTT Pharma, designers, contractors and industry partners – looked back on the work done so far. Fabian Stöcker, head of SCHOTT Pharma's pharmaceutical storage solutions division, emphasised in his speech that it seemed like only yesterday that the foundation stone was laid, and now the project team can celebrate the completion of the structure.

As he stated, the structural readiness of the project demonstrates the preparedness and commitment of the professionals working on it. Emphasising the significance of the development, he said that more than one billion people worldwide live with type 2 diabetes or obesity, and innovative drug therapies, such as those containing the active ingredient GLP-1, are playing an increasingly important role in their treatment. The safe use of the latter requires world-class drug storage solutions, especially sterile cartridges, in the manufacture of which the new plant will play a key role.

In her welcoming speech, Britta Harder, project manager of SCHOTT Pharma, recalled the stages of construction work completed so far. She said that the past six months had seen the piling and erection of prefabricated structural elements, which was one of the most spectacular phases of the project. She expressed her special thanks to the professionals working on the construction site for their precise and safe work.

In her speech, Eva Szabó, managing director of SCHOTT Hungary Kft., emphasised that the completion of the structure is a milestone for the project, which is the result of perseverance and shared belief. As she put it, the facility is not just concrete and walls, but embodies a forward-looking development. She also emphasised that work safety was a priority during construction and that she is proud that the project has progressed without any accidents so far.

Complex implementation with clean room requirements

One of the biggest technical challenges of the project is meeting the extremely tight deadlines for external machine deliveries and complying with cleanroom requirements. This is because the new hall must be directly connected to the existing cleanroom-certified units of the operating facility.

Cooperation between designers and contractors

Sándor Ábrahám spoke about the concept behind the new factory building, saying that it is a special moment for an architect when the ideas expressed in the blueprints become a tangible building. The production hall was designed to connect seamlessly with the existing building, while providing a modern and sustainable industrial environment for future technologies.

The implementation of the project, he pointed out in his speech, was also facilitated by the effective professional dialogue that developed with the staff of the authorities involved during the licensing process.