Janssen Pharmaceutica expanding in Wallonia (La Louvière, Belgium) with opening of new European center dedicated to pharmaceutical drugs distribution.

Janssen Pharmaceutica is broadening its presence in Wallonia with the opening of a new European center dedicated to the distribution of pharmaceutical products. A company specializing in a wide range of areas, such as neurosciences, oncology and infectious diseases Janssen is also globally recognized for its excellence in integrated R&D, production and general services.

The new European distribution center, part of the Johnson & Johnson distribution network, will be the major hub for the distribution of innovative Janssen medicines to patients throughout Europe and other Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries worldwide. Today, more than eighty different medicines registered to Janssen are used worldwide and creating the new center will enable medications from the fifteen different production sites to be housed for distribution at one centralized location, allowing Janssen to more efficiently deliver medicines in response to the needs of patients. In fact, the 70,000 m² site of the distribution center is expected to process 385,000 orders annually, equivalent to 160 million pharmaceutical packages of medication. The company also hopes the new European distribution center will help to reduce and possibly eliminate some of the logistical burdens and administrative costs that hospitals are faced with today.

Also based at the new site will be the management team of the three current distribution centers (Beerse, Courcelles and La Louvière) providing them with the most opportune conditions and relative proximity needed for optimal exchange of their expertise and business practices. The center is also expected to create 115 new jobs, adding to the staff of nearly 4,000 employees currently working among the four active sites in Belgium (Beerse I & II, Geel and Olen).

The opening of this new center undoubtedly will strengthen Janssen’s integration in Wallonia and overall presence in Belgium and the geographical position in Europe indeed seemed to be an important factor in choosing La Louvière as the location for this new hub. According to Jean-Claude Marcourt (Walloon Vice President and Minister of Economy, SMEs, Foreign Trade and New Technologies), the group’s choice of location for their new European distribution center not only confirms that Wallonia is a prime location regarding logistics but also illustrates the high quality and competitive productivity the local workforce provides. The center is also expected over time to become an important contributor to the Walloon “bio-logistics” sector. Knowing full well the pharmaceutical industry is characterized by long-term endeavors such as the many years that lie between the initial research and development of a product and the actual release of the new medication onto the market, Janssen seems to have recognized that Belgium could provide the stable economic climate and attractive pharmaceutical environment necessary to ensure long-term stability.

The ecological environment also played an important factor in the implementation of the new center in which local, regional and renewable materials were used during the construction phase. Integration of other energy-efficient systems is also expected in the coming years.

With such an increase in presence in Belgium and more specifically, Wallonia, one must agree that this new investment clearly reflects Janssen’s favorable view of Belgium and all it can offer the pharmaceutical industry.

In attendance at the official inauguration:
Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, Jean-Claude Marcourt (Vice President and Minister of Economy, SMEs, Foreign Trade and New Technologies of the Walloon Government, Minister of Higher Education of the Walloon-Brussels Federation) and American Ambassador H.E. Howard Gutman.
Executives in attendance: Tom Heyman,(CEO of Janssen Pharmaceutica), Jane Griffiths (Company Group Chairman, Janssen Europe, Middle East and Africa), Stuart Magloff (Vice President Global Customer Experience Johnson & Johnson) and Dr. Ajit Shetty(Honarary Chairman of the Board of Janssen Pharmaceutica).