Grifols official opening of the Bioscience Division new worldwide operations facility in Ireland

Barcelona and Dublin, October 22, 2015.- Grifols (MCE: GRF, MCE: GRF.P and NASDAQ:GRFS), the world's third-largest plasma product manufacturer and a pioneer in the research and development of therapeutic alternatives designed to contribute to both scientific and social development, has officially opened its Bioscience Division global operations center in Ireland.

The facility is located at Grange Castle Business Park Dublin and will house operating activities including the warehousing of plasma, intermediate and finished product; labeling, packaging and final conditioning of the product; regulatory and quality activities relating to the supply of plasma and plasma derivatives; R&D global management office; administrative and commercial activities among others.

In addition, the Group's global treasury activities are carried out at this facility. The global treasury function allows Grifols to operate its own in-house bank, acting as the only borrower (credit facilities, bonds, etc.) and lending funds to Group´s subsidiaries.

The new Grifols Worldwide Operations Facility also centralizes decision-making with regard to the Bioscience Division commercial policy, R&D and supply chain. Grifols relocated these operations and its treasury function to Ireland in 2014. 

The center is scheduled to come on stream in the first half of 2016 and will generate approximately 140 jobs when it is fully operational.

The Bioscience Division generated sales revenue of 2,513 million euros in 2014, or 75% of the group's total net revenue. It manufactures plasma proteins and focuses on promoting its therapeutic use.

Grifols' new facility has been inaugurated by Ireland's Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton.The Minister for Justice and Equality,  Frances Fitzgerald; the Spanish High Commissioner for Marca España, Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros; and the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, José María Rodríguez Coso also attended the grand opening. They were joined by the President and CEO of Grifols, Victor Grifols, members of the company's Board of Directors, as well as by several senior management of the Group.

• A 22,000m² site to facilitate the global distribution of plasma-derived products supporting operations in over 67 countries by maximizing the flexibility and security of supplies

Approximately 100 million dollars have been invested in the new Grifols operations facility in Dublin, that occupies 22,000 m2 of an 11-hectare site.

The project is the result of Grifols growth strategy, with a strong emphasis on the internationalization and globalization of activities. Grifols generated 93.4% of its sales outside of Spain in 2014, and the company currently has direct commercial presence in 30 countries and distributes its products in 100.
Regarding Bioscience Division, the three Grifols' industrial facilities located in the United States (Clayton and Los Angeles) and Spain (Barcelona) are able to produce 26 different types of plasma-derived products (plasma proteins for therapeutic use include albumin, immunoglobulin, factor VIII, alpha1 antitrypsin, etc., in several concentrations and  trade names) which are marketed in 67 countries. As a result, Grifols is able to make approximately 650 types of presentations, including packaging and labeling, for different products.

In order to respond to the new reality of the group, the company launched in 2013 its Operating and Distribution Infrastructure Expansion Plan aimed at improving its efficiency to support the demand in all countries where the company operates on the basis of maximum flexibility and continuity of supply.
The new worldwide Operations Facility is part of this Expansion Plan and will be the global logistics and distribution hub of Grifols' Bioscience Division. The site has been chosen for its first-class infrastructures, a strategic gate board to the European market. In this respect:

1. It will be the central warehouse for all plasma coming from the United States, as it has the capacity to store up to 1,150 pallets of plasma at -30 degrees centigrade, and is equipped with quality control laboratories.
2. It will be the central warehouse for intermediate and finished products, with capacity to store up to 3,000 pallets of intermediate and finished products at a temperature of +5 degrees centigrade.
3. It will centralize the tasks of labeling, packing, final conditioning, and distribution of finished plasma product to all Grifols' commercial subsidiaries and global distributors, other than Spain and the United States, facilitating a fast flow of goods. It has 4 labeling and packing lines. The company expects to process about 10 million product vials in 2016. This amount will double up in the long term.

About Grifols' Bioscience Division

The Bioscience Division generated sales revenue of 2,513 million euros in 2014, or 75% of the group's total net revenue. Its activity is focused on manufacture plasma proteins and on promoting its therapeutic use.

Grifols owns and operates a network of 150 plasma donor centers in the United States from which currently obtains more than 7.5 million liters of plasma per year. Plasma is fractionated to extract several proteins with therapeutic use (albumin, immunoglobulin, factor VIII, alpha-1 antitrypsin…). Grifols has three manufacturing sites, two in the United States (Clayton and Los Angeles) and one in Spain (Barcelona). Grifols is able to produce 26 different plasma-derived final products in its three sites which are marketed in 67 countries. As a result, Grifols can make about 650 different product presentations, including packaging and labeling, to meet demand in all the countries where the group operates.

About Grifols:75 years of serving people's health

Grifols is a global company that has been committed to serving people's health since 1940. In 2015 the company celebrates 75 years of improving people's health and well-being through the development of life-saving plasma medicines, hospital pharmacy products and diagnostic technology for clinical use.

The company is present in more than 100 countries worldwide and its headquarters are located in Barcelona, Spain. Grifols is a leader in plasma collection with a network of 150 plasma donation centers in the U.S., and is a leading producer of plasma-derived biological medicines. Within the field of in vitro diagnostics it is a world leader in transfusion medicine, and has a very strong position in immunology and hemostasis, enabling it to offer integrated solutions to clinical analysis laboratories, blood banks and transfusion centers.

Its sales in 2014 exceeded 3,350 million euros, and it employs approximately 14,000 members of staff. Grifols allocates a share of its income to R&D, an investment that demonstrates the company's commitment to scientific progress.

The company's class A shares are listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange, where they are part of the Ibex-35 (MCE:GRF).  Its non-voting class B shares are listed on the Mercado Continuo (MCE:GRF.P) and on the U.S. NASDAQ via ADRs (NASDAQ: GRFS). For more information, visit www.grifols.com