EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc announced the official opening of its new state-of-the-art Life Sciences manufacturing site in South Bend, Indiana, United States. The Company's state-of-the-art facilities and leading technical expertise in specialist enzyme production uses precision microbial fermentation and cutting-edge downstream processes, to isolate and deliver the highest quality enzymes and biomolecules that have been specially engineered to customer specifications. The new 24,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility addresses a significant gap in the US market for mid-volume manufacturing and will enable EKF to meet the increasing demands of its growing customer base.

As part of its investment programme, EKF has installed 10L, 65L, 300L, 1,500L, 3,000L and 14,500L units as well as key upstream and downstream process capabilities at its South Bend plant. The cutting-edge, intelligent design of the Group's modular platform includes bioreactors ranging from 5L to 14,500L to enable it to deliver an end-to-end service from bench/proof-of-concept through to full scale commercial production. This efficient and scalable platform allows multiple batch cycles to run in parallel, enabling greater process control and precision to deliver effectively the desired yields.

The South Bend site is currently operating with full fermentation capabilities and is also expected to have all downstream processing capabilities fully operational by December 2023. As previously announced, the Company has already received the first purchase order for precision fermentation services for the new facility and has a strong contract pipeline, with onboarding underway for a number of existing OEM customers and the potential to develop into long-term strategic partnerships. During 2024, the Company expects to see a steady build-up of revenues generated from this new capacity and, as contracts scale-up, EKF Life Sciences is expected to deliver substantial, long-term sustainable growth.

The South Bend site is located in close proximity to the Company's existing 20,000 square foot facility in Elkhart. Both sites operate to the highest regulatory standards undercGMP (current Good Manufacturing Principles), ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 Quality Program.