SCHOTT Reaches COVID-19 Milestone: Vials for 1 Billion Vaccine Doses Delivered
10 March 2021, Mainz, Germany
- SCHOTT’s pharmaceutical packaging business unit has delivered enough vials to provide more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, marking a massive contribution to the global fight against COVID-19.
- The company remains well on track to deliver vials for more than 2 billion vaccine doses through 2021.
“The reaction of the pharmaceutical community to COVID-19 is a testament to the power of scientific progress,” said Dr. Frank Heinricht, CEO of SCHOTT AG. “In just under a year, all previous records for vaccine development have been shattered by not just one, but several research groups. The entire industry is successfully working together to ensure an adequate supply. We’re also working with our government partners to evaluate ways to improve the supply chain and expand production capacity.”
A global operation backed by $1 billion investment
SCHOTT is one of the world’s leading producers of pharmaceutical containers made from borosilicate glass, the most proven and most widely available material used to store and deliver vaccines and other sensitive medications. SCHOTT’s global manufacturing footprint includes five sites dedicated to the manufacture of type-1 borosilicate glass tubes and another 16 plants converting the tubes into vials.
The success of the COVID-19 response is supported by the company’s multi-year, $1 billion global investment in pharmaceutical glass and packaging facilities announced early 2019 in response to rising worldwide demand for safer drug packaging. Despite the pandemic, all expansion projects are on track.
Pioneering – responsibly – together
These attributes characterize SCHOTT as a manufacturer of high-tech materials for specialty glass. Founder Otto Schott is considered its inventor and became the pioneer of an entire industry. Always opening up new markets and applications with a pioneering spirit and passion – this is what has driven the #glasslovers at SCHOTT for more than 130 years. Represented in 34 countries, the company is a highly skilled partner for high-tech industries: Healthcare, Home Appliances & Living, Consumer Electronics, Semiconductors & Datacom, Optics, Industry & Energy, Automotive, Astronomy, and Aerospace. In the fiscal year 2020, its 16,500 employees generated sales of of 2.24 billion euros (US$ 2.49 billion). With the best teams, supported by the best digital tools, the group intends to continue to grow. SCHOTT AG is owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the oldest foundations in Germany. It uses the Group's dividends to promote science. As a foundation company, SCHOTT has anchored responsibility for employees, society and the environment deeply in its DNA. The goal is to become a climate-neutral company by 2030.
Salvatore Ruggiero
Vice President Marketing and Communication