AdvantaPure(R) Invests in Team Member Training; Partners with WPI for Biomanufacturing Training

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. - Feb. 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Nineteen team members from AdvantaPure (http://www.advantapure.com/), the high purity products division of NewAge Industries, traveled from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts to learn about biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The purpose of the training was to educate the employees about the processes their customers use.

The team spent two days at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (http://wp.wpi.edu/betc/) (BETC) located in Worcester, Mass. Since its inception, the BETC has worked primarily with biopharma companies to provide customized training programs for their employees who manufacture biologic medicines. The collaboration with AdvantaPure extended the center’s capabilities to help companies that manufacture and supply equipment and solutions.

“We recognize there are many layers of the biomanufacturing industry that we can help,” said Kamal Rashid, PhD, director of the BETC and research professor at WPI (http://www.wpi.edu/). “Our new relationship with AdvantaPure is a terrific example of how we can work effectively with equipment manufacturers, who are a vital element of this growing industry.”

AdvantaPure produces high purity tubing, hose, molded manifold assemblies, and other Single-Use products for the biopharma, pharmaceutical and clean application industries. Rashid and AdvantaPure CEO Ken Baker first broached the idea of a customized training program in early 2014 when they met at an industry conference.

“We are a company that invests a lot of time and resources into educating our team members,” Baker said. “We have a lot of people who interact with customers, and we want them to have a better understanding of the biomanufacturing process and how customers use our products. Knowing only our own products is not enough.” Baker led a delegation of 19 employees for participation in an accelerated program on the fundamentals of biomanufacturing with Single-Use systems (http://www.advantapure.com/single-use-systems.htm). The group included staff from AdvantaPure’s manufacturing, administrative, marketing, sales, quality, and purchasing teams.

“It was an excellent experience and a nice balance between classroom and hands-on training. We really got the feel for the processes and the many steps needed to make a biologic,” said Baker. “The more we understand about our clients’ business, the better we can serve them. So, now, when someone starts talking about chromatography, our people know what that means and where it fits in the process.”

During the training program, discussions among AdvantaPure team members and BETC staff generated an intriguing question about some of the company’s technology. AdvantaPure is one of a few companies that have developed technology to overmold manifold connections, replacing standard barbed connections widely used to join tubing. The smooth molded connection was designed to prevent leaks, entrapment and contamination. At the BETC, however, instructors speculated there may be additional inherent benefits to the technology.

“We hadn’t considered those possible benefits, so we’ve decided to partner with the BETC to investigate the idea,” Baker said. A small-scale study, funded by AdvantaPure, is now underway at the BETC to investigate the potential additional benefits of the company’s overmolded technology.

For more information on AdvantaPure and its commitment to training, contact the AdvantaPure team at 145 James Way, Southampton, PA 18966; phone 888-755-4370 or 215-526-2151; fax 888-258-4293 or 215-526-2167; e-mail: sales@advantapure.com; or visit http://www.advantapure.com.

About AdvantaPure and NewAge Industries(R) (http://www.newageindustries.com/)

The AdvantaPure division of NewAge Industries is ISO 9001:2008 certified and specializes in high purity tubing, hose, single use systems, manifolds, and other molded components for the pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, beverage, and cosmetic industries. All products are manufactured, stored, and shipped using the cleanest methods possible to ensure unsurpassed product purity.

In business since 1954, NewAge Industries manufactures plastic and rubber tubing in both reinforced and unreinforced styles. The company offers one of the broadest product lines of tubing and fittings in the U.S., provides extensive custom extrusion and fabrication capabilities, and services customers worldwide. Automated product identification systems, including gamma-stable RFID tags and labels, are offered by NewAge’s Verigenics(R) (http://www.verigenics.com/) division. In 2006, NewAge initiated an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) for the benefit of both its employees and customers.

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NewAge Industries AdvantaPure(R), Verigenics(R), and NewAge(R) are registered trademarks of NewAge(R) Industries, Inc.