Contract manufacturer of soft gelatin capsules (softgels) for pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements – development, production and packaging under GMP.
A.R.C.O.®-Chemie GmbH
HerdeckeNew on Amplifa
About ARCO
A.R.C.O.®-Chemie GmbH is an independent family-owned company based in Herdecke, specialized since 1959 in the development and contract manufacturing of soft gelatin capsules (softgels). As one of the first softgel contract manufacturers in Europe, the company produces non-sterile medicinal products, dietetic foods and dietary supplements under a pharmaceutical manufacturing licence. Its service portfolio covers the entire process, from custom formulation development (CDMO approach ARCOMPETENCE) through softgel encapsulation to packaging (value added packaging), all under EU-GMP conditions at the Herdecke site. The materials processed are primarily soft gelatin as well as oil-based fill materials such as refined fish oil; batch sizes are variable. Customers include companies from the pharmaceutical industry and the nutraceuticals sector in Germany and abroad. In 2022/2023 capacity for finished products and softgel encapsulation was expanded by 30%.
- Site
- Herdecke
- Processes
- Softgel capsule manufacturing (encapsulation), Contract manufacturing of soft gelatin capsules (contract manufacturing), Product development / formulation (CDMO, custom formulations), Packaging (value added packaging), Manufacture of non-sterile medicinal products: capsules, soft capsules (soft shell), Quality control testing (chemical/physical), Microbiological testing (non-sterility), Product development (CDMO)
- Materials
- Soft gelatin, Refined fish oil, Oils/starting materials for dietary supplements and medicinal products, Oils and starting materials for supplements and pharmaceuticals
- Certificates
- EU-GMP, HACCP, MSC, Friend of the Sea (FOS-147/21), Manufacturer's Authorisation, Friend of the Sea
- Founded
- 1959
- Industries
- Pharmaceutical industry, Dietary supplements / nutraceuticals
- 01
Product development / formulation (CDMO)
- 02
Raw material procurement (soft gelatin, oils)
- 03
Softgel encapsulation
- 04
Quality control (chemical/physical, microbiological)
- 05
Value Added Packaging
- 06
Track & Trace / serialization
- 07
Logistics & export
Materials & Processes
Soft gelatin
Capsule shell for all softgel products from in-house encapsulation.
Refined fish oil
Oil-based fill material, certified according to MSC and Friend of the Sea.
Oils and starting materials for supplements and pharmaceuticals
Fill materials for custom formulations.
Sites
Herdecke
DEProduction, development, packaging
- Lot size
- variable batch sizes
- Materials
- Soft gelatin, refined fish oil, oils/starting materials
- Softgel encapsulation lines
Products & Dosage Forms
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softgel capsule manufacturing (encapsulation)Plastics | – | – | – | variable batch sizes | Soft gelatin, Fish oil |
| Contract manufacturing of soft gelatin capsules (contract manufacturing)Plastics | – | – | – | – | – |
| Product development / formulation (CDMO, custom formulations)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Packaging (value added packaging)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of non-sterile medicinal products: capsules, soft capsules (soft shell)Plastics | – | – | – | – | – |
| Quality control testing (chemical/physical)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Microbiological testing (non-sterility)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softgel encapsulation lines | – | – | – | – | Herdecke, Wetterstr. 33-37 |
Additional services
Quality Management
An independent quality assurance system with defined SOPs based on current EU-GMP guidelines is monitored through internal and external regulatory audits. Quality control includes chemical/physical as well as microbiological testing (non-sterility) in the company's own laboratory.
| Evidence | Herdecke |
|---|---|
| EU-GMP | |
| HACCP | |
| MSC | |
| Friend of the Sea | |
| Manufacturer's Authorisation |
History
- 1959
Foundation of A.R.C.O.-Chemie GmbH by Arthur Loose and Cornelius Souverein
- 1961
Acquisition by Zirkulin Werke GmbH
- 1962
Licence granted for pharmaceutical production under §1 para. 1; manufacture of medicinal products, dietetic foods and dietary supplements
- 1984
Sale of Zirkulin Werke GmbH to ROHA Arzneimittel; purchase by long-serving production manager Georgios Zacharopoulos
- 1986
WHO-GMP certification
- 1989–1991
First expansion of the plant
- 1997–1999
Further expansion of the production facility
- 2006
Expansion into new international markets
- 2010
Introduction of the CDMO approach with market-ready products; launch of ARCOMPETENCE
- 2014
Entry of the 2nd generation: Konstantinos and Alexandros Zacharopoulos
- 2018
Implementation of Track & Trace (serialization) for prescription-only medicinal products
- 2022–2023
Capacity expansion by 30% for finished products and softgel encapsulation