Thermo Fisher Scientific to spend $600M to boost bioprocessing production capabilities

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) will spend more than $600 million to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities through 2022, the Waltham, Mass.–based company said today.

Investments will more than double Thermo Fisher’s manufacturing capacity so that it can better support biopharma customers ramping up to meet not only short-term demands related to COVID-19 but also long-term efforts to develop new vaccines and biologics for other conditions. The company expects the expansion to create more than 1,500 new jobs across 11 manufacturing sites in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

“As the bioprocessing market grows, our customers require a consistent and reliable supply of critical materials. Single-use technologies, cell culture media and purification resins are among those in highest demand,” Thermo Fisher Scientific EVP Michel Lagarde said in a news release.

“These investments add significant capacity and regional redundancy to further bolster supply chains and help us better support customers as they accelerate the commercialization of lifesaving therapies and vaccines,” Lagarde said.

Investments include:

• Thermo Fisher’s single-use technologies business will increase its supply chain resiliency by expanding capacity at sites in Logan, Utah; Millersburg, Pa.; Cramlington, U.K.; Singapore and Suzhou, China — with additional investment at its Santa Clara, Calif. location to expand bioprocessing equipment and automation capacity.
• Thermo Fisher will also expand its POROS resin manufacturing site in Bedford, Mass. and open a new 85,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Chelmsford, Mass. .
• Expanded capacity at sites in Grand Island, N.Y.; Miami, Fla. and Inchinnan, Scotland will boost production of Gibco cell culture media, supplements and process liquids — as well as the manufacturing of customer-owned proprietary media formulations. The investments provide redundancy to support global supply and further extend capabilities, including harmonizing dual-milling options worldwide.