Purac Biomaterials builds facility for biomedical polymers in Georgia

Purac Biomaterials will open a new biomaterials manufacturing facility in Tucker. The company will invest $20 million into the manufacturing operation, creating more than 30 new jobs, according to the announcement by Gov. Nathan Deal.

"With Georgia's rich resources and assets within the bioscience industry, Purac Biomaterials will find a good home in our state," said Deal. "Being able to sit down with a company's leaders to ask for their business is a tremendous advantage for economic development. This commitment will further help me in making Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation to do business."

Purac Biomaterials, a part of Dutch-based Purac, develops, manufactures and markets resorbable polymers and monomers worldwide under the PURASORB  brand name. The products and services support development from early stage research and development to market introduction and large scale commercial supply. Purac is a subsidiary of CSM with business in bakery supplies, food preservation solutions and bio-based chemicals. CSM already operates two facilities in Tucker.

Deal met with CSM's CEO Gerard Hoetmer and toured the company's headquarters in the Netherlands while in Europe in July, during one of his four economic development missions of the year. The mission also included visits to Vanderlande Industries, TenCate and Philips Electronics, Dutch companies that already operate facilities in the state. The Netherlands ranks fourth among European investors in Georgia.

The company will produce resorbable polymers for the medical and pharmaceutical industry in a 60,000-square foot facility in Tucker, whose acquisition was completed on Nov. 28. The facility is expected to be operational in early 2014. The Georgia Department of Economic Development led the recruitment of Purac Biomaterials with support from the DeKalb County Office of Economic Development and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Amanda Shailendra and Glen Whitley with the Health Sciences and Advanced Technology team at GDEcD managed the project for the state.

"Purac's selection of Metro Atlanta for its North American R&D and specialty polymer production is recognition of our region's robust growth in pharmaceutical and other health-related markets," said David Hartnett, vice president bioscience and health IT development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. "The bioscience industry already employs more than 105,000 people in Georgia. This new facility will take advantage of our uniquely skilled labor mix in metropolitan Atlanta, and it adds to an already impressive supply chain existing here for medical devices and drug delivery products."

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