Fujifilm adding further 160,000L in NC through $1.2bn expansion

In 2021, Fujifilm began constructing a biomanufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina at a cost of ¥200 billion (then $2 billion, now $1.3 billion) for its contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) division.

Initial plans were for the site to house eight 20,000 L stainless-steel mammalian cell culture bioreactors but 18 months ahead of its expected opening, the firm has announced a secondary investment of $1.2 billion aimed at doubling drug substance capacity and adding 680 jobs.

“The potential expansion has always been part of the plan,” a Fujifilm spokesperson told BioProcess Insider. “The design of both the campus and facilities is future-focused, allowing us the flexibility to quickly respond to market demands.”

Specifically, the company attributed the continued growth in demand of recombinant protein – specifically antibody-related – large-scale production as the key driver behind the investment.

“The antibody drug market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 8% through 2030 due to increasing demands for conventional antibody drugs as well as the expansion of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and novel antibody drugs using bispecific antibodies.”

A further eight 20,000 L bioreactors will be installed at Holly Springs, but the buildings could see another eight installed – pushing total capacity to 480,000 L – as further demand arises.

The company has previously described the site as “North America’s largest, most sustainable contract development manufacturing organization facility.” However, this may soon be challenged by fellow CMDO Lonza, which recently bolstered its US-based capabilities substantially through the $1.2 billion acquisition of legacy Genentech Vacaville facility in California from Roche.

The Vacaville facility has a total bioreactor capacity of approximately 330,000 L, making it one of the biggest biologics manufacturing sites globally by volume, and only second CDMO Samsung Biologic’s Songdo, Korea biocampus, according to BioPlan Associates’ Top 1000 Biopharmaceutical Facilities Index.