Need for change and manufacturing excellence
In 2016, Argonaut opened its doors as a true “greenfield startup.” No customers, no assets. Just a good idea and a few hardworking individuals driven to change the face of contract manufacturing. There was an unmet need stemming from the expansion of the diagnostic application market driving demand for more manufacturing support of regulated reagents and consumables. This required a manufacturer that was cGMP ready, agile, and with the capacity and capability to variabilize cost structures for our partners. Our success would hinge on the ability to create an environment that was designed to meet these needs and provide.
Fast forward five years
2021 – Over the past 5 years, we have helped our customers meet their growth and market challenges. They put their trust in us and we aim to deliver on our promises. Since 2016, we have significantly expanded both our services and capabilities. Currently, we have 101,000+ square feet of manufacturing space and 150+ employees. Our services now include lyophilization, drug product manufacturing, and custom controls. Meeting the needs of our customers has remained our number one priority. We have delivered on our business plan, accumulated an incredible list of clients serving two very important and fast-growing markets in Life Sciences, and we’ve seen first-hand the outcomes of our efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of many- from COVID detection to cancer surveillance.
Argonaut chose Carlsbad, CA to put down roots for its manufacturing facilities as it is a hub for life science in the San Diego region, one of the nation’s leading biotech markets. Argonaut has received tremendous support from the community and is invested in supporting the lives of our employees – many of whom reside in North County. Without the dedicated support and caring of our amazing employees, we would not be able to achieve this milestone. We don’t waver in our support of one another and the belief that we can do more than imagined by creating the right corporate environment and values.
The core for Argonaut’s next 5 years is client satisfaction: continuing to develop with our partners while delivering on expectations regarding expertise, on time delivery, and quality. We will also invest in 3 major areas:
- First is our controls business unit, launched in 2021. Providing custom controls allow our clients to focus on assay innovation while Argonaut manufactures the assay specific elements affordably and consistently.
- Our second strategic focus is expansion of our lyophilization capabilities. As we look forward and see the explosion of opportunities in Point of Care (POC) diagnostics, we believe lyophilization is the obvious choice when solving the ambient stability needs of POC tests. We have embarked on building a world class site with 8 times the capacity of today’s capability and are adding patented technologies and processes to reduce assay costs while improving quality and flexibility. This is a huge commitment on the part of Argonaut to bring genomic diagnostics tests out of the lab and into point of care, enabling faster physician/patient decisions.
- Our last strategic initiative is extending our Drug Product Manufacturing (DPM) capabilities by deploying a second automated line, ready for drug fill/finish in 2023. Like our existing line, this will utilize modern robotics and minimize risk associated with operator intervention.
All of these initiatives are consistent with our laser focus on bringing contract manufacturing services to innovators and creators in the life science industries, while staying a step ahead of the competition.
What we do from here matters, and we are excited to see what the next 5 years bring. Argonaut will continue to be on the leading edge of process innovation and operational efficiency, while upholding our reputation for service and performance. Without our partners, Argonaut would not need to exist, and we are both thankful and humbled to help in their quest to improve lives.
For more information about Argonaut Manufacturing Services Contact Us here.
Argonaut is backed by Telegraph Hill Partners.
