Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced plans to build a manufacturing facility in Mebane, North Carolina. The project is part of a recently announced $192.5m co-investment with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase domestic supply of laboratory pipette tips.
"The new manufacturing facility will help the US meet future demand surges for vital laboratory products while bringing more high-quality jobs to North Carolina," said Mark Stevenson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "With its strategic geographic location and proximity to a diverse talent base, Mebane is an ideal location for this new facility."
The company currently employs approximately 4,000 colleagues across seven sites in NC, including a laboratory equipment centre in Asheville, three life sciences and chemical manufacturing sites in Durham, pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in Greenville and High Point, and a Raleigh distribution centre. The Mebane site is expected to create 150-200 jobs in manufacturing, engineering and business operations.
"Thermo Fisher continues to expand its footprint in North Carolina, reinforcing our state's global reputation as a prime location for life sciences companies," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. "This new investment in Mebane and Orange County proves once again that North Carolina's biotechnology sector is thriving in every corner of our state."
The company's investment is part of a strategy to build flexible and redundant production capacity in the US and across key global regions. Increased output from recent site expansions is helping meet ongoing demand for COVID-19-related consumables, including plastics used to collect samples and transport them to labs, as well as for equipment, including single-use technologies (SUT).
