Growing russian pharmaceutical market attracts major players

German manufacturer Bayer announced plans to start production in Russia, with the aim of expanding its presence in the pharmaceutical glass segment. Schott, another well-known German glass manufacturer, has announced its plans to establish a plant for the production of pharmaceutical glass in Russia. The new plant is expected to be opened in the Bor district of the Nizhny Novgorod region during 2014-2015. The capacity of each line is estimated at 3500-4000 units per hour. Currently, the plant employs 40 people, which is planned to increase to 120 by 2014. The expansion into Russia is part of global expansion plans, which in recent years has seen the company actively developing in many regions of the world and in particular, Latin America. Russia's leading analyst agencies in the field of glass production, Abercade, has highlighted that over the next several years the Russian pharmaceutical glass market is expected to continue to grow at a rate of approximately 3-5% per year.