Two large companies with extensive involvement in the biopharma industry have announced major construction projects.
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Two large companies with extensive involvement in the biopharma industry have announced major construction projects. In the case of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the company is expanding its manufacturing base. In the case of Hydromer, the company is actually moving its headquarters to a different region. Here’s a look.
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced plans to invest $50 million in its manufacturing site in St. Louis County. The goal is to expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities for biologic drugs. The investment will add 80 new technical jobs. The company currently employs more than 350 people in the St. Louis Area.
The expansion will add 64,000 square feet to its factory at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Interstate 170. It will double the company’s capacity at that site and have the second largest base of single-use bioproduction capacity at a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) globally.
Construction is expected to begin in June and wrap before the end of the year.
“Biologics have the potential to benefit millions of patients around the world,” stated Michel Lagarde, president of pharma services for Thermo Fisher. “Patheon Biologics, with this expansion, will be better equipped to meet the needs of our customers and ultimately the patients who rely on these life-saving therapies.”
Last year, Thermo Fisher acquired Patheon for $4.72 billion. In March 2019, Thermo Fisher acquired gene and cell therapy manufacturer Brammer Bio, located in Cambridge, Mass., for $1.7 billion in cash.
In similar news, Branchburg, NJ-based Hydromer announced it is moving its operations to the Charlotte, NC region. It recently sold its Branchburg facilities. It expects to shift its headquarters this summer.
Hydromer develops high-performance polymers and surface coats used its advanced medical devices, medical hydrogels and foams, aerospace components, personal care products, and other applications.
Hydromer has been focusing on the Charlotte region for some time. The company notes that the region is a “well-established international business hub with over 1,000 international firms” and “consistently ranking as one of the top U.S. states for business partly due to one of the lowest corporate income taxes in the country.”
“Hydromer’s new headquarters and manufacturing facility will be specialized, more flexible, and adaptive in design to capture operational efficiencies and enable a quicker customer response time,” stated Martin C. von Dyck, Hydromer’s executive vice president of Operations. “It will feature modular production elements, empowering more agile and leaner productivity, therefore allowing our company to adapt and change much faster to meet its diverse customer requirements.”
Hydromer recently announced it was expanding its medical device team, bringing on Matt J. McGlon as National and Key Accounts Sales Manager. McGlon’s particular expertise is in medical device sales and account management. Over the last 15 years, McGlon held key territory and account management positions at CR Bard (now Beckton Dickenson), Atrium Medical, Biomet Orthopedics, and Smith & Nephew Orthopedics.
“With the biomaterial coatings market for medical devices projected to reach over $15 billion 2021 and the flurry of new material science and substrates that customers need surface coatings for, we are very enthusiastic that Matt is bringing his extensive med-tech expertise to further expand our presence in this arena,” stated von Dyck.
