Fujifilm Diosynth adds on at its NC hub, bolstering lab space with plans to bring on 145 new jobs

New year, same Fujifilm Diosynth.

The CDMO giant hit the ground running at full speed this year, announcing it will expand its BioProcess Innovation Center in Research Triangle Park, NC. The move will double its existing laboratory footprint in the Tar Heel State, and add another 145 skilled jobs to the site by 2024. Another 89,000 square feet will be added, which will allow for a more robust commercial process.

The expansion will also support its process characterization programs, and complement operations at its UK facility. It’s expected to be operational by 2024.

‘As leaders in process development, we are delighted to be adding this additional capacity to support our growing pipeline of customers,’ the site’s COO Christine Vannais said in a statement. ‘The cutting-edge laboratory equipment and automation tools, combined with the deep technical expertise of our scientific community will allow us to better serve our partners to rapidly generate and assess data to understand complex molecules, along with the processes used in their manufacture.’

The BIC opened in May 2016 as a three-story, 62,000-square-foot facility for process invention, design and development.

The upgrade is big news for the region as two developers just announced plans for a $1 billion biotech hub in nearby Morrisville, with enough space for both manufacturing and R&D work. That site will have retail space and outdoor recreation areas. No future tenants have been named yet so far. Three weeks ago, the company announced that it would invest another $300 million into its Bryan-College Station, TX facility, a move that will create another 150 jobs. That investment will feature a $1.5 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The expansion will add 138,000 square feet to the campus and several 500- and 2,000-liter bioreactors.

In the fall, Fujifilm Diosynth dumped $2 billion into a headquarters in North Carolina and another $454 million in its UK supply chain. The project will result in the large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substance. The site will have eight 20,000-liter bioreactors, and the potential to add another 24.

CPhI experts predicted in the fall that CMOs will account for four of the top five manufacturing capacities by the year 2025, and nearly half of all capacity will shift to large capacity volume. Fujifilm is right at the top of that list, alongside Lonza, Samsung Biologics and WuXi Biologics.

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