SINA Medical Glass, a £28.5m Liverpool city region manufacturing venture that will create 180 jobs, takes delivery of new machinery for the plant. Tony McDonough reports
A £28.5m specialist manufacturing venture that will see the creation of 180 jobs has moved a step closer to going live after taking delivery of high-tech machinery.
In August 2024 Sina Medical Glass, a joint venture between SGC Group Intl and Hambleden Capital, agreed a 15-year lease with St Helens Council on an industrial building in the town.
Located to the rear of the £54m Glass Futures project, once up and running later this year the new facility will produce around 300m medical glass vials and cartridges a year with up to 200m meeting the UK’s domestic annual requirement.
Surplus production will be exported overseas. Ultimately SINA has the ambition to produce borosilicate tubing, a type of glass known for its high resistance to thermal shock, on the same St Helens site.
SINA is receiving £5.5m for the new machinery as part of the St Helens Town Deal. Glass Futures, which has just gone operational, is also supporting the business. Shareholders are investing £23m.
Walter Coxon, director of SINA Medical Glass, said: “We are very pleased with the progress we have made in setting up the SINA facility and very grateful for the support from the St Helens Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
“We look forward to the build-up to full production at the site, both in delivering new jobs to the community and ensuring security of UK supply for medical glass packaging.”
Glass vials and cartridges play a vital role in the pharmaceutical industry. They are primarily used to store and transport liquids such as vaccines and injectable medicines.
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Recruitment for the new factory is already under way and Sina is working with Glass Futures and local employment and training providers to ensure that local residents are supported in accessing these roles.
In addition, SINA will also be looking to offer apprenticeships and supported placements to allow people to access in-work training and development opportunities.
Cllr Kate Groucutt, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Business and Inclusive Growth, said: “As well as providing high quality jobs, apprenticeships and placements for residents, the business will be contributing in a unique way to the UK economy through the production of a vital element of our pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.”