Gerresheimer & Zollner Enter Strategic Partnership 

Gerresheimer AG and Zollner Elektronik AG are pooling their market-leading pharmaceutical and medical technology expertise under a strategic partnership. Starting immediately, they will offer pharmaceutical, healthcare, and biotech companies their conceptual design, development, and manufacturing capacities for drug delivery and medical technology systems, including complete electronics, from one single source. Gerresheimer serves as the central point of contact for customers. The market-leading partners combine the expertise of Gerresheimer in innovative devices for the administration of medicines and medical technology systems with the globally established electronics expertise of Zollner. Together they want to further develop their expertise in the healthcare sector and open up new markets.

With this strategic partnership, Gerresheimer and Zollner are counting on the global trend toward electronic, digitally controllable and connected drug delivery and diagnostic systems. These include insulin pens, inhalators, like for people suffering with asthma, Point-of-Care systems and medicine pumps. The demand for medical and pharmaceutical devices with electronic components mostly for the treatment of chronic illnesses will significantly increase in coming years. According to studies, the market for digital and connected solutions for the treatment of diabetes alone is expected to grow to around EUR 11bn by 2025.

Zollner Elektronik AG is one of the world’s largest manufacturing service providers for electronic and mechatronic components (Electronic Manufacturing Services or EMS). It generated revenues of around 1.9 billion Euros with just over 12,000 employees at 23 locations in Germany and abroad, 18.3% of that in the area of Healthcare & Life Sciences.

“The future belongs to digital treatment support with electronic systems and connected platforms,” said Dietmar Siemssen, CEO of Gerresheimer AG. “The partnership with Zollner helps us provide our pharma customers with innovative one-stop medtech solutions. For patients, using these solutions means better treatment and enhanced quality of life. At the same time, the healthcare system also benefits by way of permanently reduced treatment costs.”

“Digitalization of medical devices is advancing at a very fast tempo. At Zollner, we are happy to have found an ideal partner in Gerresheimer for the expansion of our successful Healthcare & Life Sciences efforts”, says Markus Aschenbrenner, Managing Board Member at Zollner. “Together we will expand access to existing markets, exploit new growth markets and support our mutual customers along the entire life cycle of the products.”

Zollner and Gerresheimer have collected much cooperation experience in numerous projects. The electronics specialist in Zandt already supplies Duesseldorf-based Gerresheimer with components and assemblies for medicine pumps in Parkinson’s therapy. Gerresheimer and Zollner are now further developing this cooperation and will act as equal partners for the healthcare system of the future. Through the integration of concept design, development and manufacturing, the products of both sides can be brought to market faster and more efficiently. Also gained is permanent, secure access to electronic components. The cooperation initially covers the development of inhalers for chronic lung disease sufferers, autoinjectors, ophthalmology systems and drug pumps, as well as contract manufacturing for these and similar devices.

Gerresheimer already boasts a portfolio of electronically controlled devices and solutions based on its own intellectual property, including the Respimetrix inhaler and the SensAir pump.The strategic partnership with Zollner will contribute to the significant expansion of that portfolio.

This partnership also supports the sustainability strategies of both companies. For instance, they have agreed on a technology exchange enabling the development of even more efficient production processes – including with the use of artificial intelligence – to minimize waste and rejects.

Gerresheimer is the global partner for pharmaceuticals, biotech, health and cosmetics with a very broad product spectrum for medicine and cosmetic packaging as well as drug delivery devices. The company offers innovative solutions, from the concept to delivery of the end product. Gerresheimer achieves its ambitious goals with high level of innovative power, industrial expertise and concentration on quality and customer focus. In the development of innovative and sustainable solutions, Gerresheimer places its faith in a comprehensive, international network with numerous innovation and production centers in Europe, America and Asia. Gerresheimer produces close to its customers with around 11,000 employees and generates an annual revenue of approximately 1.5 billion Euros. With its products and solutions, Gerresheimer plays a significant role for the health and well-being of mankind.

The family-owned company with its headquarters in Zandt is Europe’s market leader in the Electronics Manufacturing Services sector. Founded in 1965, it has grown organically to become a global player with around 12,000 employees and 23 locations around the globe. Zollner Elektronik AG is one of the three largest solution providers in Europe in the Healthcare & Life Sciences sector and belongs in the top ten globally with more than two decades of experience with highly complex medical technology products. Its services encompass the complete product life cycle and cover segments of Medical Technology, Pharmaceutical Devices, Laboratory Equipment and Digital Health – the ideal prerequisites for supporting the transformation and technological progress in the area of Healthcare & Life Sciences.