​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishECONOMY, INNOVATIONGlobal eye care leader invests 35m euros in two Flemish sites24 June 2024 Alcon is investing 35 million euros in two Flemish sites A new warehouse will be opened in Bornem and the production facility in Puurs will be expanded Alcon is a Swiss-American medical company specialising in eye care products it focuses on making surgical packs for eye surgery Hospitals and doctors can then assemble these packs themselves Worldwide distribution of the surgical components starts in Bornem and the packs go from there to numerous European hospitals Alcon will build a new warehouse at Bornem doubling the area of the site from 16,000 to 32,000 square metres Both Bornem and Puurs are in Antwerp province “Belgium is an important hub for us,” said Alcon vice-president of global supply chain Hakan Erdemir #FlandersNewsService | A surgeon prepares a patient before performing an eye operation © PHOTO PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu A lorry loaded with batteries has caught fire on an industrial estate at Bornem in Antwerp Province The fire on the Klein-Mechelen Industrial Estate has led to a smoke being spread over the surrounding area The police advise those that live near-by to keep their windows and doors closed The truck caught fire at the BD Media site on the Klein-Mechelen Industrial Estate in Bornem this morning Extinguishing the fire is not an easy task as the truck is loaded with batteries Once apparently extinguished the batteries could reignite again due to internal heat build-up Police are urging local residents and businesses in the area to keep windows and doors closed People in the area have also received a BE-Alert message A BD Media employee and the driver of the truck have been taken to hospital for medical check-up 12 Nov 2024 By Lewis Berrill Already registered? please Log in to continue Try Property Week For Free to finish this article To access this article TRY FOR FREE NOW Don't want full access? 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SIGN IN here to continue Property Week’s 2025 Power of Proptech survey seeks to explore the robustness of this digital infrastructure and how prepared businesses are to meet the technological challenges facing the property sector EBOX says that this asset management initiative lengthens the income profile and enhances the value of the asset This follows the letting of the adjacent vacant unit in March 2019 to Belgische Distributiedienst NV (BD NV) This unit had been vacant for over 18 months prior to EBOX’s acquisition of the property Bornem is located in the prime logistics corridor in Belgium and benefits from good port and airport connectivity with the Port of Antwerp approximately 35km north and Brussels Airport approximately 35km to the south “We are delighted to continue to deliver our identified business plans in Belgium so soon after acquisition demonstrating not only the quality of the property and its location but also the value of our informed stock picking identifying assets where we can add value in the near term” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This website is for information purposes only and is not intended to encourage the reader to deal in the security or securities mentioned Please review our cookie, privacy & data protection and terms and conditions policies and, if you accept, please select your place of residence and whether you are a private or professional investor. Due to data protection policies, USA residents can not access our data. Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee News, Analysis & Insights on Nutrition, Supplements, and Health 27-Oct-2020 Last updated on 27-Oct-2020 at 15:33 GMT The announcement, which affects eight Lonza sites, will expand capsule manufacturing capacity by 30 billion capsules annually and follows 2019’s investment that increased CHI's capacity by 10bn capsules. "We continue to see strong demand for our products across all markets, as consumers and patients alike take a more active interest in their health,” explains Claude Dartiguelongue, President Capsules & Health Ingredients at Lonza. “Therefore, we felt it is critical that we make this commitment to expand the manufacturing capacity of our network, not only addressing supply needs in the near term but also supply availability over the long term." The investment will be made over two fiscal years, 2020 and 2021, across Lonza’s manufacturing sites that include its European operations in Bornem, Belgium and Colmar in France. Further afield, the sites set to benefit includes those in Greenwood (USA), Haryana (IN), Jakarta (ID), Puebla (MX), Sagamihara (JP), and Suzhou, (CN). Lonza adds that the extra manufacturing capacity will address the high growth across CHI's gelatine, vegetarian, and specialty polymers portfolio as well as the liquid-filled hard capsules sold under the Licaps brand. Licaps two-piece capsules are a dosage form offered in both gelatine and HPMC (hypromellose) for liquid, semi-solid, paste and multi-particulate applications. The expansion taps into increased demand for capsules in the nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical markets, buoyed on by consumers adopting healthier lifestyles and patients seeking preventative treatments. According to Lonza’s 2019 annual report, the €546bn nutrition industry continues to grow with segments such as joint health, sports nutrition and digestive health forecast to grow at 7-9% (CAGR 2019–2024). However, the nutritional capsules market, is expected to grow in line with the overall capsules market of moderate GDP+ growth. “More consumers are proactively looking to protect their health, improve their wellbeing, and live longer, healthier lives,” the report quotes from Euromonitor research. “With today’s busy lifestyle, consumers are seeking convenient methods of getting nutrients through supplements and functional foods.” Lonza’s report goes on to say that consumers are also looking for greater transparency in the products they buy with greater interest in understanding how a product was made and where it came from. Trusted products offering clean-label, natural, non-genetically modified organism (GMO), plant-based credentials and information on ingredient sourcing and processing, are of particular interest. Additionally, the convergence of the food and pharma market continues with an increasing range of supplements, functional foods, and nutraceuticals to promote and expand healthspan. Lonza adds the expansion will support production of new dosage technologies such as Lipid Multi Particulates (LMP) technologies and several new time-release functional capsule solutions. This technology consists of round, smooth matrix multiparticulates, typically 50-1,200 micrometres (μm) in diameter containing of one or more lipid excipients that are solid at room temperature. Produced by Lonza-owned Capsugel, LMP technology is formulated to contain a measured microdose of active nutritional ingredients including botanicals, vitamins and amino acids. The ability to precisely deliver a metered dose of actives combined with the controlled particle size of LMP can lead to improved gut distribution. "Dosage form technologies have evolved rapidly over the past ten years,” says Stef Vanquickenborne, Head of Capsules & Health Ingredients Research and Development at Lonza. “As the leader in the industry, we are committed to innovation and helping our customers successfully deliver next-generation drugs and nutritional supplements." On the nutritional ingredients side, Lonza’s UC-II Undenatured Type II Collagen (joint health) is primarily manufactured in Fort Smith, AR (USA), and will be supplemented by Greenwood, SC (USA). The organisation produces its Carnipure L-carnitine for human nutrition in Nansha (CN) and ResistAid, an arabinogalactan uniquely sourced from local larch trees to support immune health, is produced in Cohasset, MN (USA). Lonza recently appointed Roche's Pierre-Alain Ruffieuxa as its new CEO in June after Marc Funk left the organisation in November 2019. Lonza are currently collaborating with US-biotech Moderna to create an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, with the pact looking to produce 1bn doses annually subject to regulatory approval.   Lonza takes issue with warning about L-carnitine metabolite21-Oct-2020By Hank SchultzSwiss L-carnitine supplier Lonza has said focus on a lone metabolite that has a poorly understood relation to cardiovascular disease presents an incomplete picture of the benefits of the ingredient. The warning about the metabolite figured into a... Lonza launches probiotic ingredient for sports nutrition16-Sep-2020By Danielle MastersonLonza recently announced the launch of its new TWK10 probiotic ingredient, a Lactobacillus plantarum strain that is isolated from fermented Taiwanese Kimchi. Lonza opts for pharma expertise with new CEO appointment 08-Jun-2020By Wai Lang ChuLonza appoints Pierre-Alain Ruffieux as the organisation’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing the outgoing CEO ad interim Albert Baehny. Cranberry’s A-type PACs effective in supporting urinary tract health, studies showPaid for and content provided by Ethical Naturals Inc. (ENI) ENI’s Polyphenol-C offers additional core health benefits, studies notePaid for and content provided by Ethical Naturals Inc. (ENI) Yeast beta-glucans: Redefining immune supportPaid for and content provided by Ohly Play Duration: 1 hour 1 minute 9 seconds1h 1mPresented by It’s all gas, no breaks on this massive set from Belgian producer Pegassi! An inspection of shops in Bornem and Puurs-Sint-Amands (Antwerp Province) led to the discovery at one store of large quantities of snus Pouches containing powdered tobacco leaves are placed under the lip to allow nicotine to be absorbed through the oral membrane police and customs found 143 boxes of snus in the form of nicotine bags you can stick under your lip It was last Saturday that local police performed checks at newsagents and other stores The operation was staged in cooperation with the national social security office and Belgian customs The illegal snus was found in a shop in Puurs-Sint-Amands The small bags of tobacco leaves allow you to ingest nicotine without smoking It’s a practice that can be particularly addictive but its sale is banned in all EU states bar Denmark A total of five shops in Bornem and Puurs-Sint-Amands were checked During the inspections officials encountered several people doing undeclared work He is now under the jurisdiction of the immigration department in Brussels Voormalig wielrenner en Tourritwinnaar Karel Rottiers uit Wintam bij Bornem is eerder deze week overleden Rottiers behaalde zijn belangrijkste overwinning in de Tour van 1975 Hij won toen de derde etappe in de Ronde van Frankrijk In die etappe lag de aankomstplaats in Versailles Rottiers was ook enkele jaren ploegmaat van Eddy Merckx bij Molteni For the first time ever in Belgium the corps of a dead narwhal has been washed up in the River Schelde at Bornem in Antwerp Province A narwhal is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large tusk from a protruding canine tooth Narwhal’s normally live he Arctic waters around Greenland Before now there were no recorded reports of narwhals in Belgium In the Netherlands a narwhal was spotted for the last time in 1912 in what was then still the Zuiderzee The narwhal that was washed up in Boornem is a young male with a tusk measuring around 50 cm The dead narwhal was found by two walkers at a lock on the Schelde The corpse of the dead creature has been taken to Ghent University’s for an autopsy There biologist from Ghent and Liège universities will examine the narwhal Its skeleton will be kept ant the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences in Brussels here are 10 little towns in Belgium that are far too underrated and well worth a visit But there’s a happy medium: small Belgian towns we’d like to introduce you to 10 charming Belgian towns that you should visit at least once in your life eclectic 16th-century castle (also known as “Château Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde”) is a real gem in the province of Antwerp is also renowned for its incredible wisteria garden in spring colorful brick houses reminiscent of Holland: one thing’s for sure on the border with the Netherlands) is full of charm Eat at Oud Oteren (a little out of the way) Its breathtaking mountain chalet decor is sure to please just a stone’s throw from the Avesnois Park and the French border the small town of Chimay is an exception: its magnificent Château (one of the oldest in the region) and the Saints-Pierre-et-Paul Collegiate Church line its tranquil Grand-Place stop off at the Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont Want to add a little festive fl air to your getaway In addition to its absolutely dazzling heritage (St Martin’s Church Sacred Heart Church and St Donat’s Church on Knippchen Hill spring to mind) which make it one of the liveliest small towns in its region: the Maitrank Festival When we speak of the Belgian coast we often hear the names Ostend Buses run between the town and the beaches for just €2.50 Durbuy may have been nicknamed “the smallest town in the world” (in reference to King John of Bohemia in the 14th century) And with good reason: it has a total population of 11,000 But its old town (population 400) has retained its ancestral charm of yesteryear Its Château and the park of topiaries with sculpted animals are marvellous is one of the most beautiful in Flanders: 160 cottages wind their way up to the magnificent Zimmer Tower and its astronomical clock Ypres was one of the most important cities in Europe it was known as the “cloth city” Europe’s largest neo-Gothic bourgeois complex Martin’s Cathedral and its immense spire Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News The Flemish Tourism Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) has launched a new tourist route The ‘Castles of the Scheldt’ route links no fewer than 7 historical castles along the banks of the River Scheldt between Ghent (East Flanders) and Antwerp The route starts at the Gravensteen castle in the centre of Ghent and ends at Het Steen in Antwerp The 'Castles of the Scheldt’ route includes not only castles but also numerous other interesting sites and monuments in the Scheldt Valley The new tourist route was unveiled at a press conference held at Bornem Castle in Antwerp Province on Saturday The Flemish Tourism Minister says that the ‘Castles of the Scheldt’ brings together history and nature and that sustainable tourism is at its heart During the past few years seven castles along the banks of the River Scheldt have been prepared to play what is a pivotal role in the ‘Castles of the Scheldt’ project Others are being opened to the public for the first time At Laarne Castle in East Flanders you can explore the building from top to bottom using a movie guide at the Cloth Hall in Dendermonde a new exhibition has opened about the former fortress and how it grew into what is now a thriving town An interactive “Bruegel Room” featuring work by the Flemish master has been set up at Bornem Castle (Antwerp Province) The castle will also host lectures about Bruegel’s work Work is currently being carried out on the lane that leads to the castle Work is also being carried out at d’Ursel Castle There activities will include two challenging escape games It is hoped that everything should be ready for the start of the new tourist season in spring 2023 the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Belgium Dilyor Khakimov in Bornem met with the sales manager of the Clayton Industries Stefaan Janssens the press service of the Foreign Ministry reports Clayton specializes in the production of steam generators the prospects for cooperation of the Belgian manufacturer with Uzbek companies were discussed an agreement was reached on a visit to Uzbekistan at the beginning of May by the manager of Clayton Industries Stefaan Janssens will visit the Namangan region where meetings will be organized in the regional khokimiyat the branch of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry It is also intended to consider the creation of a joint venture in the Namangan region within the framework of the visit Home | Lifestyle has won a Platforma Award from the European Union The Nquthu municipality has been working with the Belgian town of Bornem on the project since 2008 The aim is to provide a platform for the local community to sell their reusable waste material Jobs have been created for more than 143 people Thulani Mtshali could not find work in the rural area of Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal he was demoralised that he had to depend on his father That is until Mtshali became a waste picker and I was wishing to get money due to the shortage of job opportunities Puleng Mokoena is another local waste picker “I can submit 24 tons and I get money I have five years now doing this job in KZN Mtshali and Mokoena are among the beneficiaries of the co-operation between the Nquthu municipality and Belgian town of Bornem the Nquthu municipality runs a project to collect recyclable waste Waste pickers like Mstahli and Mokoena sell used plastic sells the collected waste to a recycling company More than 140 people have found employment through the project Approximately R23 million has been spent on infrastructure development and also the running of the Buy-Back Centre The Nquthu and Bornem Municipality Co-operation took the second place in the European Union’s Platforma Awards 2020 with the ‘Waste for Employment’ project The mayor of the Nquthu local municipality has expressed his gratitude about the achievement and he says it will help the municipality to promote and attract investors and tourism “The level of Nquthu has improved as it recognised by the European Union and this shows that in Nquthu we can make a difference in people’s lives and it gives a platform to whoever wants to form a cooperation with us to know that the town of Nquthu can make it better It will help us to attract investors and promote tourism as part of improving the economy to another level,” says Shabalala Shabalala says he’s happy that the project involves mainly the youth “More than 51 youth that represent their ward also participate in the project and they make sure that people are taught by the project and they collect waste and bring it to the Buy-Back Center I am happy that they can support themselves,” says Shabalala She says it has been an eye-opener to the community “I am happy as the community has learnt how to maintain waste they have learnt that not all the waste must go to the landfill site so most of the waste can be re-used and renewable for their own benefit,” says Majola Nquthu Youth Council executive member Khanyile Mazibuko believes young people should strive to form cooperatives to become independent “I would like if the municipality can help us to develop the businesses of the local youth so that we will rely on the municipality for financial assistance The youth must cooperate to support ourselves and be independent as youth,” says Mazibuko