The life sciences industry continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world as the end of the year draws near.
The life sciences industry continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world as the end of the year draws near. Here is a rundown of a few of the companies that announced facility and job expansions in October.
Catalent
Even though Catalent isn’t expanding its footprint, the New Jersey-based contract and research manufacturing organization (CRMO) is aiming to hire an additional 500-600 people to work at its vaccine manufacturing site in Bloomington, IN. The site, which manufactures Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, has already doubled its staff since the beginning of the pandemic. So far this year, Catalent has delivered nearly 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines and related treatments.
According to Arturo Lopez, Catalent’s senior director of human resources, while COVID-19 vaccines largely impacted the company’s growth, there are other factors that attributed as well.
“We provide drug development and manufacturing solutions for many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and they continue developing new products,” Lopez said. “So, there’s a large pipeline of products coming out of these companies and we partner with them. But certainly, COVID has been a big driver and big reason why we have increased our capacity.”
GlaxoSmithKline
With its demerger drawing near, GlaxoSmithKline is preparing for where the split companies will each call home. The new consumer health company will be based in Weybridge, U.K. at a new $164 million global campus, which is expected to open in 2024.
“This investment in a new cutting-edge campus in the UK will bring together our first-in-class teams as we drive towards our ambitions as the world’s leading consumer healthcare company,” said Brian McNamara, CEO Designate, GSK Consumer Healthcare, in a statement.
While the consumer health company knows where it is heading, the New GSK is still looking for a place to settle. The company is looking to relocate to a site that will “meet the needs of the new organization” somewhere near its current headquarters in Brentford, which it has called home since 2000.
High Purity New England
This month, High Purity New England (HPNE) shared details about its new hiring push, which includes the goal of hiring more than 150 new employees by the beginning of 2022. Completing that milestone will propel the Rhode Island-based company closer to its target of having 350 employees in 2022.
HPNE supplies the biopharmaceutical industry with innovative solutions and equipment and is getting ready to open its new multi-million dollar facility in December.
As the life sciences industry has heated up since the start of the pandemic, so has demand for HPNE’s product offerings.
“Our need for new employees increases every day as we continue to expand and build our business,” said HPNE Founder and CEO Mark Sitcoske. “As the demand for our products grows, so does the need for more hands-on deck to help assist in that growth.”
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies broke ground on its $2 billion cell culture expansion project earlier this month. The site, which is the largest North American cell culture CDMO facility, is in Holly Springs, NC and will have 2 million square feet of space upon completion.
The company is also looking to expand its team in the coming years.
“With the strong embrace of our public and private partners in North Carolina we are excited to add 725 new members to our team over the next several years,” said Martin Meeson, chief executive officer, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. “We will be doing all of this in a facility that is designed and built with sustainability as its core in alignment with Fujifilm’s Sustainable Value Plan 2030.”
10x Genomics
This week, life sciences technology company 10x Genomics celebrated the grand opening of its new Singapore-based manufacturing facility and commercial hub. The 53,000 square-foot space includes automated production suites, a biosafety level-2 lab, a distribution center, a warehouse and office space.
“We are thrilled to grow our presence here and are excited to contribute to Singapore’s culture of science and innovation as we work to fulfill the promise of this Century of Biology,” said Serge Saxonov, co-founder and CEO of 10x Genomics.
