The exterior of the new 6,000 m2 building erected on the Nivelles site in 2017 is impressive. But what it conceals within is even more striking when you know that it houses two dedicated production areas: one reserved for the production of medicines and the other devoted to the production of food supplements. An impressive "multi-purpose" site which is still far from having revealed its full potential.
"Our production areas meet the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards applicable in the pharmaceutical industry and the specific HACCP (Hazard Analysis - Critical Control Point) standards for food supplements", David Blavier, Production Manager tells us straight off the bat. Passionate about his job, he is proud to tell us all about this cutting-edge tool.
Quality, our priority
"Trenker has always aimed for quality production work, even if that sometimes takes longer. Whether it's medicines or food supplements, we make sure to apply the same levels of rigour and attention while upholding specific standards in order to produce very high quality products. To do this, we work in close collaboration with the Quality Control department for raw materials (QC), the Quality Assurance department (QA), the Research and Development department (R&D) and the Regulatory Affairs department (RA).
Two wholly dedicated areas
“We manufacture very different products (medicines and food supplements) on a single site in two completely independent production areas: one for medicines and the other for food supplements. These two areas operate independently and do not allow movement between them. Once they reach the changing room, operators are asked to wear colour-coded clothing: white for the medicine area and grey for the food supplement area. They enter and exit in the dedicated areas via a specific badge which prevents them from passing from one area to the other".
Versatile teams
"The strength of our teams? Versatility! Our operators are indeed interchangeable. They can work in the dedicated medicines area or in the dedicated food supplements area. This is a real asset for Trenker. Working with the same rigour, respecting strict standards specific to each area. That's how it is at Trenker! I have been working at Trenker for 20 years and, as a production manager, I understand that my role is key. Piloting production activities, managing teams, overseeing the production chain, putting procedures in place, ensuring deadlines are met, coordinating manufacturing with the various players and ensuring production of the bulk product. These are my responsibilities.
Then I pass the baton on to the department responsible for the finished product. It is true teamwork and requires a collaborative and responsible approach with the operators. I like to be in dialogue with them. Our common goal is to do quality work. We have to be meticulous and versatile at all levels. And we plan to put this rigorous discipline to use by expanding our production activities to provide tailor-made finished products to certain customers. So we are also developing tailor-made activities ”.
Your hopes for the next 10 years
“More sales and orders. Recognition beyond our borders as a serious, efficient and pioneering laboratory. Our new building impresses with its potential, we are proud of it! But we know that we still have some distance to go to fulfil all of our ambitions.
The Trenker family has always prioritised quality and knows how to back this up with resources. This is undoubtedly what makes the difference and drives us as employees. Knowing how to combine quality production, respect for people and skills synergies does not come naturally to everyone!"