Gerresheimer plans November restart at US plant after hurricane damage
Adds details from call with spokesperson in paragraphs 2-3, 7-9, context in paragraphs 5-6
By Marleen Kaesebier and Isabel Demetz
Oct 9 (Reuters) -German medical packaging maker Gerresheimer GXIG.DE is planning a phased production restart at its plant in Morganton, North Carolina from the beginning of November, after it was halted due to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, a company spokesperson said late on Tuesday.
"We have water in the plant, so we have got cleaning crews in the plant really trying to clean everything out," Jutta Lorberg, Head of Corporate Communications at Gerresheimer, added in a call with Reuters on Wednesday.
The company expects to be able to reach around 50% of the plant's production capacity by the end of November. Lorberg said the Morganton plant makes up about 10% of Gerresheimer's annual global vial capacity.
Gerresheimer first flagged the production halt on Sept. 30, when it issued a profit warning for the full year and reported preliminary third quarter results, sending its shares tumbling 18% in a single day.
That marked the second outlook cut this year for the group, after it flagged negative destocking effects in its primary packaging glass business when it posted half year results in July.
The production halt hit Gerresheimer's already struggling vial business which, like competitors, has seen pharmaceutical companies destocking and using up their leftover inventory from the pandemic-related boom, rather than ordering new products.
"This is just a tipping point," Lorberg said about the hurricane damage, as the projected weeks-long production halt meant the company would not be able to reach its earlier full year targets in the already tough situation.
With the U.S. now bracing for Hurricane Milton, Lorberg said she could not predict whether this would further impact Gerresheimer.
"Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do, just sit put and if the storm will hit a certain region, make sure that your people are safe," she said.
Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier, Isabel Demetz in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi
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