Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim has opened a new Centre of Competence (CoC) in Shanghai with an investment of €10m.

The inauguration is part of the company's €100m expansion project in China.

Boehringer Ingelheim said that the new CoC is expected to specialise in optimising active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and chemical intermediates procured in China.

According to the company, so far, more than 20 organic and analytical chemists have been recruited for the CoC.

Shanghai-based CoC houses two departments Process Development and Quality Control.

Process Development is expected to focus on the production process optimisation and the corresponding technology transfer to the company's partners within China to increase the production efficiency and precision.

Boehringer Ingelheim China CEO David Preston said that by optimising the production process of the company's partners and securing the quality of the intermediates, China will play a role in the company's procurement efforts.