Alfa Laval Hopes New Center will Help Pharma Innovation

Swedish industrial manufacturer Alfa Laval has opened its new Innovation Centre in Flemingsberg, Sweden, a move that signals a reinforced focus on creating sustainable solutions for the healthcare and biopharma industries.

The company, which has a 140-year history, inaugurated the new facility at an event for customers, partners and industry leaders, showcasing its latest technologies.

Tom Erixon, Alfa Laval’s CEO and President, and Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz, were present to officially open the centre.

This investment not only strengthens Alfa Laval's Swedish roots, located near its 19th-century origins, but also establishes Flemingsberg as its global hub for separator development, with a clear ambition for the pharmaceutical sector.

Advancing biopharma with separation technology

Separation technologies are fundamental to many industrial processes, including the development of modern medicines.

These methods are used to isolate specific components from a mixture by leveraging differences in their physical or chemical properties, such as size, density or solubility. In the context of biopharma, this is critical for purifying drugs and ensuring their safety and efficacy.

Alfa Laval notes: “The world urgently needs solutions for a future beyond fossil fuels, food systems that deliver new and sustainable options while reducing waste, and medicines that support a growing and aging population to improve quality of life. Separation technologies play a key role in this process, and Alfa Laval’s 140 years of expertise are now focused on advanced research and next-generation solutions for high-speed separation that will help customers meet the challenges.”

A legacy of innovation

Alfa Laval’s story began in Stockholm with the invention of the first continuous dairy separator in the 1880s. This was a breakthrough innovation for its time, allowing dairies to increase production and reduce waste with low energy use.

This founding principle continues to guide Alfa Laval's work today as it addresses new challenges in sectors like healthcare.

Peter Nielsen, President of the Business Unit High Speed Separators, says: “The dairy separator was more than a product; it was a revolution. It enabled dairies to scale up, turn waste into value and do so with remarkably low use of energy – and that principle still guides us today as we help industries transition to a more resourceful world.” During the inauguration, guests toured the new labs where innovations for industries, including biopharma, were demonstrated.

Flemingsberg as a future pharma hub

The new facility covers around 20,000 square metres, with 8,000 square metres of advanced laboratory space dedicated to the science of separation. This infrastructure is designed to foster the development of new technologies that can be applied across Alfa Laval's core industries.

“Innovation requires more than ideas – it demands the right people, the right expertise and the right facilities,” explains Peter.

He adds: “We are investing in innovation and this hub will enable us to bring new innovations to the market and the next technology leaps enabled by intelligent separation.”

Alfa Laval has explicitly stated its goal for the new centre to become a focal point for its pharmaceutical-related research and development. This move could position Flemingsberg as a key site for advancements in biopharma manufacturing and technology.

Peter adds: “We are very pleased to have established our new premises in Flemingsberg. This expansion represents a major improvement for our employees, our operations and our customers and is now Alfa Laval’s hub for all development of separators within the marine, energy, food and pharma sectors. Our ambition is to make Flemingsberg our Pharma Innovation Centre for all our products and solutions within Alfa Laval.”