Sheffield Pharmaceuticals invests $12 million in infrastructure

Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, a New London, Conn.-based manufacturer of store brand over-the-counter products, including creams, ointments, nasal sprays, first aid products, oral care products and more, said it recently invested $12 million dollars in the company.

To begin with, Sheffield purchased a 136,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Norwich, Conn., to house its finished products and components because the company "was busting at the seams," said Michael Clark, senior director of product strategy and branding for the company. After moving the finished product and components to the fulfillment center, Sheffield doubled its manufacturing area which allowed the company to invest in new machinery.

Sheffield's new machinery includes an automated liquid plugger, filler and capper for 0.5- to 4.0-ounce bottles; a packette machine for liquids, creams and ointments; three new cartoners that will automate tube insertions and have the ability to insert coupons and product information into the cartons; and a renovated saline nasal spray production line. With the new machinery, Sheffield is able to double and, in some cases, even triple its line speeds, lower its overhead and offer higher quality products with less human intervention. Additionally, the new machinery allows the company to offer competitive pricing that is comparable to overseas manufacturers while employing American workers.

"We were dealing with a lot of competition from overseas manufacturers," Clark said. "But we wanted to keep supporting American jobs. So we automated a lot of processes. However, we did not reduce our employee count. When necessary, we relocated workers to different departments."

Currently, 25 percent of Sheffield's employees work in research and development or quality assurance/quality control. With so many employees in these two departments, the company is better able to invest in store brand product development for its retailer clients, Clark noted.

"Sheffield Pharmaceuticals is trying to be a strategic partner for retailers," he added. "We want to solve our customers' private brand problems. This investment in the company will help us to do just that."