A contract manufacturing known for small-scale filling of medicinal vials and syringes for the pharmaceutical industry is turning greener at its Massachusetts facility.
Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing (BSM) will install solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations at its 120,000-square-foot site in Lee, Mass. A new roof with improved insulation will be added to handle the solar panels.
And that energy generated by the solar panels will offset up to one-third of the company’s total energy consumption.
“We want to reduce our carbon footprint,” Ron Trefzger, BSM associated director of engineering, said in a statement. “There hasn’t been a better time to purchase and install solar panels than right now.”
BSM also will install eight electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot for employee and guest use.
BSM makes injectable medicines for commercial use and clinical or pre-clinical studies. The process uses a relatively large amount of energy to maintain sterility, according to the company.
Most of the solar energy, of course, will be generated from the panels during the summer months. Excess electricity will be sent into the Eversource Energy grid and earn the company credits for that.
Some exterior work to update the plant appearance will be completed along with the solar panels and EV chargers. Most of the redesign and construction work on the Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing facility will take place this spring.
