Thermo Fisher invests $154m to expand NC plant

Thermo Fisher will increase manufacturing capacity for fill-finish services at its Greenville, US facility with an $154 million investment. 

Bioprocess vendor Thermo Fisher Scientific has unveiled plans to bolster its manufacturing capacity for sterile liquid and lyophilized filling, pre-filled syringes, and solid dose continuous manufacturing at its Greenville, North Carolina facility.

The $154 million investment is not part of the firm’s recent $600 million CAPEX plan, which had the trade press salivating in March. 

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“Our continued growth in capabilities and capacity at our Greenville site has enabled us to support our clients’ needs and the patients they serve,” a spokesperson for Thermo Fisher told BioProcess Insider.

“This new investment will enable new innovation and development capabilities to respond to the accelerated demand for critical medicines and therapies – for both COVID-19 vaccine[s] and other important life-threatening diseases.”

Earlier this month, Thermo Fisher invested $100+ million to feed biomanufacturing’s continued demand for single-use technologies at its Nashville, Tennessee facility and said it will hire 1,400 additional staff at the plant.

New jobs in Pitt County

The site is run by Thermo Fisher division Patheon, and the expansion of the multi-purpose pharmaceutical production and packaging campus that spans more than one million square feet will create 290 new jobs in Pitt County.

“Thermo Fisher has close collaborations with local community organizations and workforce development initiatives including the Eastern North Carolina Alliance, East Carolina University (ECU), and Pitt Community College.  We also have a strong Colleague Referral program to attract talent to the company,” the spokesperson said.

According to the firm, it’s Greenville site has more than 1,800 employees and its presence in Greenville and Pitt County “is rooted in its commercial business operations and ability to attract and retain exceptional talent in the region.”

The investment and expansion work has already begun and is expected to be completed over the next few years.