Microsize, a U.S.-based CDMO that specializes in particle size reduction and control technologies, has linked with Swiss equipment provider Schedio Group to acquire a Lonza micronization facility for an undisclosed price.
The facility, located in Monteggio, Switzerland, is known as Micro-Macinazione (Mic Mac) and will help bolster Microsize's European footprint as the CDMO seeks to establish an "integrated European-American network for advanced particle engineering," the companies said in a Nov. 24 press release.
The deal follows Lonza's 2022 decision to divest its particle size reduction plant in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, to a "group of industry veterans and investors," with the Quakertown business then reemerging upon the deal's close as the CDMO Microsize.
Now, Microsize has teamed up with Schedio—a Swiss-based provider of jet mills, isolators, spray dryers and engineering services—to return to the Lonza well. Together, the companies will "jointly invest in Mic Mac to further enhance its capabilities and accelerate modernization," according to the press announcement.
Through the purchase, Microsize says it aims to wed its CDMO know-how with Schedio's suite of process equipment and containment technologies. The purchase of the Lonza plant is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, the companies said.
“The acquisition agreement represents a critical step in building Microsize into a global leader in particle engineering,” TJ Higley, the CDMO's chief executive, said in a statement. “Mic Mac complements our U.S. operations perfectly, technically, operationally, and culturally. It gives our customers seamless access to high-quality services on both sides of the Atlantic, and expands our ability to support them from early development through commercial scale.”
Lonza's decision to part ways with the Swiss micronization facility comes just weeks after the CDMO picked up French rapid microbiology testing firm Redberry SAS for an undisclosed price.
That deal is part of Lonza’s push to meet industry demands for faster product releases while maintaining safety and regulatory standards, the company said at the time.