Sterigenics Announces Major Expansion in Shanghai; To Bring Advanced Ethylene Oxide Technology to Asian Market



    Sterigenics International, Inc., the world's leading
    provider of sterilisation services for the medical device industry,
    today announced plans for an ultra high-tech ethylene oxide (EO)
    processing facility to be located in the Yanshan Harbor area in
    Shanghai.
    Planned in response to escalating forecasts from medical device
    manufacturers in the US, Europe, Japan and Australasia, the EO
    facility will be Sterigenics' second sterilisation processing center
    in the Shanghai area. In the fall of 2005, the company launched
    operations in China with the opening of a fully certified electron
    beam (E-Beam) facility located in the Chuansha Economical Zone.
    "We are extremely grateful for the enthusiastic reception we have
    already received in Shanghai from both local and international
    manufacturers," said Marc Markey, Deputy CEO & President of Europe,
    Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA). "Now we are looking forward to
    expanding their options with the very latest in EO technology."
    Construction of the EO facility--which will feature the industry's
    most advanced 32 euro-pallet sterilisers--is slated to begin
    immediately. Completion is anticipated in Quarter 4 2007. "As our
    customers extend their global sourcing, we will be there with
    increased capacity and the very latest in technology to meet their
    service needs," stated David E. Meyer, President and CEO of
    Sterigenics International, Inc.
    At 2.4-meter height, the trailer-size sterilisation chambers are
    designed to coordinate with sea container capacity, thereby maximizing
    production lot sizes and reducing cost. High-performance
    pallet-handling capabilities will further optimize process time and
    control.
    The sterilisation technology to be used will incorporate that
    developed for Sterigenics' single-day, single-chamber CyclEOne(R)
    processing, including parametric product release which significantly
    reduces the time and cost associated with traditional EO
    sterilisation.
    State-of-the-art in every respect, the new facility will have the
    capacity to process 180,000 pallets a year, and will feature advanced
    technology to minimize emissions into the atmosphere.
    In conjunction with the laboratory already operating at
    Sterigenics E-Beam centre in Shanghai, the new center will offer
    microbiologic and analytical laboratory facilities staffed by
    knowledgeable experts and operating in full accord with the global
    standards required when exporting health care products and medical
    devices to the international community.

    About Sterigenics International

    Sterigenics International is a portfolio company of PPM Capital
    Limited and PPM America Capital Partners LLC. Headquartered in Oak
    Brook, Illinois, and Leuven, Belgium, Sterigenics International is the
    world's leading provider of contract sterilisation and ionisation
    services for the medical device, food safety and high
    performance/specialty materials industries. The company has over 1,000
    employees and operates 40 service centers in North America, Europe and
    Asia.