Annual financial report 2007 - Virbac

38The leishmaniasis vaccine continued its developmentprogramme, obtaining favourable scientific results, despite therisks in the parasiticide vaccine field.RDL in Australia, Latin America and South Africa obtained newregistrations, including Zeralon and Aflorac Max (LatinAmerica).The structure in Asia, which has incorporated Bio Solution,obtained Maxflor ® 10% PSP Fish and two registrations offlorfenicol for pigs and poultry.These products satisfy the needsin aquaculture and the needs of pig and poultry farming in SouthEast Asia.Japan obtained registration and immediately marketedEquimax ® , the jewel of Virbac’s equine parasiticide range.India, which joined the Virbac group in 2006, has alreadyobtained new registrations: an enrofloxacin based antibioticand Hitek ® 1% LA (parasiticide) from dossiers originallyprepared by R&D in Latin America. R&D in India has begun anaggressive programme of specific parallel developments.The developments of products without marketing authorisationfocused on the incorporation of glycotechnologies into thevarious topical products existing in USA and in Europe.ProductionFranceOn the Carros site2007 saw the finalisation of a major project called Biotech 1,which enabled the manufacture of active bacteriologicalingredients (leptospire) to begin at the start of 2008 underoptimum conditions of productivity and conformity.Where theold building had been, new premises were established and theoperation and organisation of the workshop were fully reviewed.In 2007 Virbac continued the protection of its industrial sites witha more efficient sprinkler system offering protection against fire.Many investments were made in our packaging lines to adapt thecapacities, improve productivity and monitor the development ofrequirements regarding regulatory compliance:• installation of new labelling machines;• installation of new loading machines;• installation of the coding system, allowing the printing of thenew Datamatrix standard (traceability).In 2007, the Carros industrial tool incorporated new productsthat required adjustments to existing equipment.On the Magny en Vexin siteNo significant investments were made in 2007.The lean manufacturing project, introduced at Virbac in 2004,enabled a further improvement to be made in the productionprocess this year and thus generated productivity gains.InternationalMexicoFollowing the renovations carried out last year in the injectablebetalactamine production workshops, the subsidiary completedthe production line with the commissioning of a homogeneizerfor high viscosity suspended products and also acquired anautomatic filling, capping and labelling line for 50, 100 and 250millilitre bottles.The Microbiology Department, obtained regulatory compliance.With a view to the optimisation of the production chain,VirbacMexico, replacing Virbac SA, now supplies Virbac Brazil’s third partyclients with intramammary syringes and injectable suspensions.Finally, the organisation of production changed with theappointment of a manager for the relocated unit housing thewarehouses and premix manufacturing workshop.AustraliaThe official inauguration of the new site took place on4 September 2007, together with the celebration of thetwentieth anniversary of the subsidiary.The move fromPeakhurst to Milperra enabled the following to take place:• the regrouping of offices, which had previously been scatteredover six different areas of the building;• a considerable increase in the surface area of the R&D andquality control laboratories;• the regrouping of five different storage areas into a singlecentralised warehouse;• an improvement in the acceptance/dispatch operations byadjusting lorry movements.The Crookwell industrial unit suffered the consequences of thedrought that had prevailed in the Australian continent for severalyears. Business on site was maintained thanks to the return ofproducts previously manufactured externally. Another businessrecovery project was finalised in January 2008, concerning therange of powders for horses.USAThe following works were carried out on the St. Louis site:• the construction of a dedicated controlled-atmosphereworkshop for the manufacture of co-extruded implants;• the renovation and expansion of the granulation/dryingworkshop with the commissioning of a new fluidised air facility;• the construction of a new 2,400 m 2 building to house thequality control laboratory, the R&D laboratory (instrumentsand formulation), locker rooms and employees’ rest rooms,conference room, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs,Logistics and Human Resources departments and the officesof the production monitoring personnel.The works will becompleted in 2008.Several facilities were also commissioned to increase capacityand to improve productivity:• a mixer and a granulator for tablets;