Press Room

Press Clipping / Dec 10, 2018

Expansion at Hovione Ireland

Irish Pharma Chem, Industry Buyers Guide, December, 2018

Hovione Loughbeg supplies medium and large-scale manufacturing active pharmaceutical and drug product intermediates that are approved by European, US and Asian health authorities. Over the last four years, the site has continued to successfully transfer new products, acquire new business, achieve multiple regulatory approvals and attract key talent to the site, which now boasts close to 200 team members.

Adding Capacity

In May 2018, Hovione concluded the re-instatement of a second active pharmaceutical ingredient building on the site, adding further significant capacity, technical capability and expansion opportunities. This promising expansion creates career development opportunities for existing and new team members. 
The site now has all three production buildings in operation for the first time in its history. This major investment in the Loughbeg facility will enable further diversity in the product portfolio and brings major additional capacity to the Hovione group, providing enhanced flexibility and agility to both existing and future customers. “We at Hovione Ireland are looking forward to celebrating our 10th year of operation in 2019,” explains Paul Downing, Hovione Ireland General Manager, “which is also the 60th anniversary of the founding of the company in Portugal.”

In It For Life

“Hovione is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to helping pharmaceutical customers bring new and off-patent drugs to market,” Downing explains. “We do well what is difficult, to give our customers what they cannot find elsewhere.”

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In an interview with Executiva, a portuguese media outlet focused on women´s leadership, Diane Villax, co-founder and long-standing leader of Hovione, reflects on her journey and the company’s development over more than six decades. Diane Villax’s career began at a time when few women worked outside the home. At 19, she joined a trading company as a foreign languages correspondent, where she developed essential business skills — including commercial correspondence, banking and export procedures — that later proved instrumental in helping her husband, Ivan Villax, establish Hovione in 1959. From its earliest days operating in the family home in Lisbon, Hovione adopted an international outlook. The company’s first major customers were in Japan, setting demanding quality standards that helped shape its long-term position in global markets. Over the following decades, Hovione expanded its footprint with the construction of its first manufacturing site in Loures (1969), followed by expansion to Macau (1986), the United States (New Jersey, early 2000s) and Ireland (Cork). The company grew into a global organization with more than 2,500 employees — including over 300 scientists — and a reputation as a preferred supplier to leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Throughout the interview, Diane highlights the values that have guided the company’s development: a commitment to excellence, a strong work ethic, and a focus on quality and long-term relationships. Although she did not have formal business training, she learned “on the job” and brought discipline, precision and structure to her role — particularly in the company’s early financial and administrative leadership. Now in her nineties and an active member of Hovione’s Board of Directors, Diane Villax remains engaged with the company’s evolution and governance, reflecting a continued commitment to its long-term development. Her story reflects entrepreneurial drive, resilience and long-term leadership — and offers insight into the values that have shaped Hovione’s trajectory for more than six decades. Read the full interview at Executiva.pt (in portuguese).    

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