As global demand rises and new products, ingredients, and sales channels emerge, nutraceutical manufacturers and CDMOs face increasing complexity. Meeting these challenges requires more than advanced technology; it requires a strategic partner to jointly create the basis for growth. Since 2018, ABJ alive has partnered with Syntegon, relying on its capsule filling machines for large-scale production. The results speak for themselves: Downtime has been reduced in total by 20 percent, while operational efficiency has increased, for example by up to 50 percent for magnesium oxide.
The global market for nutraceutical capsules is growing at an unprecedented pace. Increasing health awareness is triggering the demand for new products such as vitamins, minerals, plant powders, or probiotics. The highly dynamic market is further driven by e-commerce as an increasingly popular distribution channel. Consumer demands are rising continuously, and new products are launched on the market frequently. Capsules are often the preferred choice, as they protect sensitive active ingredients, are flexible in formulation design, and allow the inclusion of difficult, sticky, or oily ingredients.
Huge growth potential facing complex requirements
This rising demand offers huge growth potential for everyone involved in the nutraceutical capsule supply chain. At the same time, new products and ingredients combined with the demand for ever-faster time to market are placing increasingly complex requirements on nutraceutical manufacturers as well as contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs). Among them is ABJ alive, located in Creussen, Germany, member of 1Q Health. This contract manufacturing group unites several specialised companies within the pharmaceutical and food supplement industries and is consistently building an integrated European platform focused on quality, innovation, and scalable manufacturing.
Founded in 2010, ABJ alive is well established in the dietary supplement sector and has built a strong reputation for quality and reliability. ABJ alive provides comprehensive capsule development and manufacturing services, supporting customers throughout the entire product lifecycle – from the initial concept and formulation to final production and market-ready realisation. The company specialises in the production of nutraceutical capsules in large batches, including active ingredients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, plant powders and extracts, as well as probiotics. Many nutraceutical products present significant processing challenges. Probiotics, for example, require particularly careful handling due to their sensitive microorganisms, which must remain stable and viable throughout production until the end of shelf life.
Other formulations involve powders that are difficult to dose and weigh accurately. When natural ingredients are used, variability in raw material characteristics adds another layer of complexity, as batch-to-batch consistency cannot always be taken for granted. Against this backdrop, ABJ alive must be capable of managing a wide range of products with differing physical and biological properties. At the same time, the company needs to switch between formulations quickly and flexibly in order to meet tight production schedules and ensure reliable, on-time delivery to its customers.
From first test to lifecycle partnership
“In the last year, our sales grew by about 40 percent compared to 2024,” Dr. Florian Geppert, Plant Manager at ABJ alive reports. This growth would not have been possible without a state-of-the-art production facility equipped with highly efficient capsule filling machines. Besides high performance, they must deliver high output and yield with minimum downtimes – deliverables that the previous machines were not able to meet to the company’s satisfaction, as Dr. Geppert recalls: “Previously, we had different machines from other manufacturers that did not meet our expectations regarding quality standards. That’s why we have a close collaboration with Syntegon since 2018.”
What started as a test project has evolved into a lifecycle partnership based on mutual trust. ABJ alive purchased the first machine from the GKF Capsylon series to test the price-performance ratio of the Syntegon equipment compared to other providers. Convinced by the quality and performance of the machine, four further GKF Capsylon machines were soon to follow. With the current expansion project at the site in Creussen, ABJ alive now calls a total of six high-output capsule fillers their own. “Since we started using the Syntegon technology, we have experienced about 20 percent less downtime and have also increased product yield,” Dr. Geppert underlines.
Increasing efficiency for magnesium oxide by up to 50 percent
The GKF Capsylon series for middle to high outputs was specifically developed for the nutrition and health industry and provides the renowned Syntegon quality at an excellent price-performance ratio. Apart from its easy operation and cleanability, one feature clearly stands out for Dr. Florian Geppert: “We really appreciate the slide-gate technology because it helps us to bring raw materials into the capsules gently without much product loss.” Besides increasing yields significantly, the patented slide-gate system from Syntegon minimises the dust impact of the product on the machine and also offers the possibility to run pellets on the same dosing station. “Since using the slide-gate technology, our efficiency for magnesium oxide has increased by up to 50 percent,” Dr. Geppert underlines.
Collaboration as the key to success
The cooperation between ABJ alive and Syntegon goes far beyond installing state-of-the art capsule filling machines. “We have no issues with their systems, which are running smoothly,” says Dr. Geppert. “We are also really glad to have their expert support. Syntegon shows us a lot of new things that help us to focus on our core work.” Syntegon sees itself as a true lifecycle partner to its customers. ABJ alive brings extensive in-house expertise in handling complex nutraceutical formulations and demanding production requirements. Syntegon complements this know-how with advanced capsule filling technology, supporting and enhancing existing processes.
The partnership strengthens performance and scalability while keeping ABJ alive firmly in control of its manufacturing expertise. With the equipment and support from Syntegon, ABJ alive sees itself well-established for new products and challenges in the fast-paced nutraceutical capsule industry and is looking forward to continuing the successful partnership for further growth. “We want to double our output in capsules and will certainly need more machines from Syntegon to reach our goals in the future,” Dr. Geppert summarises.
Author
Chris Kloepfer
Area Sales Manager
Syntegon Technology
