Groundbreaking at SÜDPACK in Erolzheim: Production expansion for PharmaGuard®

The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony held on November 25, 2025 marked the start of a new and significant construction project – not only for the film manufacturer but also for the region as a whole. By the end of Q3 2027, new production facilities for PharmaGuard®, along with a unit for the regranulation of production-related plastic waste, will be built on the grounds of the SÜDPACK logistics center in Erolzheim. The award-winning blister concept developed by SÜDPACK Medica for solid applications is based on a PP mono-material and offers a sustainable alternative to conventional, non-recyclable packaging concepts – and has seen strong market demand since its launch.

At an early hour – 8:30 a.m. on November 25 – numerous honored guests gathered for the official ceremony, followed by a traditional breakfast of Weißwurst (veal sausage). Among those in attendance were Jochen Ackermann, Mayor of Erolzheim; Stefan Redle of Redle Architekten; Georg Grimbacher and Björn Glass of the construction firms Grimbacher and Glass; Denis Geggier, Site Manager at SÜDPACK Erolzheim; and, of course, the owners and managing directors of the SÜDPACK Group and SÜDPACK Medica, represented by Carolin Grimbacher, Johannes Remmele, Thorsten Seehars, Andreas Braun, Christoph Angstl, and Thomas Freis. 

The ceremonial groundbreaking ... 

... marked the official start of construction work in Erolzheim – and represents a major milestone in the history of this family-owned company. Due to rising demand for PharmaGuard®, the current production capacity at the company’s main site in Ochsenhausen will no longer be sufficient in the long term. 

In the first phase of expansion, an existing hall will be converted to house an ISO 7-certified cleanroom that will enable GMP-compliant production and accommodate a new extrusion line as well as a slitting machine. A completely new building extension is also planned to house the technical infrastructure, including a regranulation unit for processing production waste. 

If all goes according to plan, construction will be completed by June 2026, with installation of the production equipment to follow in the months thereafter. Commissioning and start-up are scheduled for Q3 2027. 

Voices from the ceremony

Mayor Jochen Ackermann, who has actively supported the construction project from the outset, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “SÜDPACK continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to Germany as a business location – even under challenging economic conditions. As a successful, forward-looking company and one of the region’s major employers, it is creating new jobs.” Indeed, around 50 new positions will be created to operate the new facilities. With further expansion phases in the pipeline, an additional 120 jobs are expected to be added by 2030.

For the second-generation leaders of the family business founded in 1964, Johannes Remmele and Carolin Grimbacher – who have boldly and consistently steered it toward growth, internationalization, and above all, sustainability – the expansion of PharmaGuard® production sends a strong signal to the market and a clear message to their employees: “Our forward-looking packaging concept already meets the future sustainability requirements of the global pharmaceutical industry – as well as those outlined in the PPWR. As a recyclable mono-material, it offers a significantly reduced climate impact (in CO₂ equivalents) compared to laminates made from aluminum and PET. With innovations like this, we’re not only securing our future – we’re actively driving the green transformation and the circular economy within the plastics and packaging industry.”