Industrial manufacturing sites must continuously adapt to meet new market demands, higher quality expectations, and increasing pressure for efficiency and sustainability. Preparing for future growth requires more than capacity expansion, it demands a clear long-term vision, sustainable investment, operational excellence, and strong teams capable of driving transformation
At Cipan, Suanfarma´s site in Portugal, these priorities are shaping the next phase of development within Suanfarma’s global CDMO network, fully aligned with the Group’s ambition to become a sustainable global player in the development and manufacturing of the core of medicines by 2035
We spoke with João Leite, Head of Site at Cipan, about how the plant is evolving, the importance of quality culture, and why people remain the key to long-term success.
Q1. Manufacturing sites need to constantly evolve. From your perspective, what are the key priorities when preparing a plant for future growth?
I would say that it starts with having a clear vision of where we want to be as a company, ensuring that our infrastructure, technologies, and capabilities evolve in line with both customer expectations and Suanfarma’s long-term strategic goals.
In practical terms, this involves investing in flexible manufacturing assets that can handle different types of products and production volumes, upgrading our technology and automation where appropriate, and ensuring our employees develop alongside the plant.
You can install the most modern equipment in the world, but if your teams aren’t trained and engaged, you won’t get the results you aimed for.
Preparing for growth isn’t just about adding capacity, it’s also about becoming as efficient as possible with what you already have. This involves debottlenecking, optimizing processes and reducing waste. Often, some of the biggest gains come from looking inward before looking outward.
Q2. Cipan has a long industrial history and today plays a key role within Suanfarma’s CDMO network. How has the site evolved in recent years to meet new market demands?
Cipan carries decades of industrial know-how, and that deep operational experience is genuinely one of our greatest strengths.
Over the past several years, our investments have focused on reinforcing the site’s operational reliability while further strengthening its infrastructure and capabilities.
We’ve directed resources into areas like upgrading our utilities and electrical infrastructure, installing photovoltaic panels as part of our sustainability commitment, and building a wastewater treatment plant — one of Suanfarma’s first major investments following the acquisition of Cipan — which was a significant step both environmentally and operationally.
We’ve also made targeted investments around our proprietary product lines, which remain an important part of who we are.
What I think is exciting is what comes next. We know that to fully unlock Cipan’s potential within Suanfarma’s CDMO network, we need to go further.
We are actively advancing modernization and digital transformation of our operations, with this journey expected to accelerate significantly over the coming years. By adopting advanced and fit-for-purpose technologies available in the market, we aim to further strengthen efficiency, consistency, operational agility, and overall manufacturing excellence across the site.
The foundation is here: we have the industrial footprint, we have experienced people who know this site inside out, and we have a clear CDMO ambition.
The challenge now is to build on that foundation with the right investments in modernization, maintenance, and capability upgrades that will make Cipan a more competitive and attractive partner for our customers.
That journey is just getting started, and everyone is genuinely motivated by what’s ahead.
Q3. In the pharmaceutical industry, operational excellence and regulatory compliance are essential. How do you ensure that growth is achieved while maintaining the highest quality standards?
For us, quality is not optional nor negotiable.
In our industry, growth without quality is simply not sustainable — one serious compliance failure can undo years of hard work. So, quality and growth must always go hand in hand.
At Cipan, our quality system is built on people, and I’m genuinely proud of that.
Compliance isn’t just about documents and procedures — it’s about mindset.
What we’ve worked hard to build here is a culture where quality is everyone’s responsibility, from the operators on the shopfloor all the way to the site directors.
We encourage openness at every level. If someone sees something that doesn’t look right, they speak up. If there’s a better way to do something, we want to hear it.
That transparency and shared sense of ownership is what keeps our quality standards strong, and honestly, it’s something I value more than any tool or system.
Ultimately, it is People who make Quality happen, every batch, every decision, every day.
When you have a team that truly lives and breathes that quality mindset, it gives you a very solid foundation to grow from with confidence.
Q4. Behind every manufacturing site there is a strong team. How do you foster a culture of collaboration, safety and continuous improvement within the plant?
In my opinion, at the end of the day, everything comes down to people.
You can have the best strategy and the best equipment, but it’s the people on the ground who make it happen — every single day, every single shift.
We try to foster a culture where communication is open and honest, where people feel safe to speak up, to flag problems, and to propose ideas.
Safety is our top priority — everyone must go home in the same condition they arrived, full stop. We reinforce that message constantly, and we back it up with training and proper safety procedures.
As for continuous improvement, I believe it has to be everyone’s job, not just a department or a program.
We encourage our teams to challenge the status quo, to look for better ways of doing things.
Collaboration across departments is also key — when all departments work as one team with shared goals, that’s when you really see the difference.
I’m very proud of the team we have at Cipan, and I’m confident that together we’ll continue to grow and deliver for our customers and partners.
Looking Ahead
Preparing a manufacturing site for future growth is an ongoing process built on strategic investment, operational discipline, and people development. At Cipan, these pillars are already in place.
With a strong industrial legacy, a clear roadmap for modernization and teams committed to continuous improvement, our site is well positioned to strengthen its role within Suanfarma’s global CDMO network in the years ahead.
