Fujifilm Irvine Scientific is to establish a cell culture media manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, USA, which will triple the company’s current capacity for liquid cell culture media production.
The new site will also create over 100 new positions, including bioprocessing engineers, manufacturing, production, and logistics roles for the company, which develops and manufactures advanced cell culture solutions for life science research, bioproduction, cell therapy manufacturing, and medical applications.
The new facility is planned to ensure that Fujifilm Irvine Scientific can meet increasing market demands for high quality cell culture media solutions. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will be over 250,000 sq. feet and located across 64 acres in RTP. The site will support cGMP manufacturing of animal component-free, dry powder, and liquid media, adding additional production capacity for FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific .
Fujifilm Irvine Scientific has experienced rapid growth over the past decade and is forecasting increases in demand for cell culture media to support bioproduction and advanced therapies. To meet the requirements of its customers, the company made the strategic decision to expand its capacity by constructing manufacturing facilities in biotech centers around the world.
As an area popular with life science companies, RTP in North Carolina was selected as an ideal location, providing enhanced supply chain security, and for customers in the region, more efficient shipping and faster delivery. Fujifilm’s group also operates cell culture media manufacturing facilities in California, USA, the Netherlands, and the Saitama and Aichi prefectures in Japan.
“Our customers require rapid, reliable delivery of cell culture media to support their commercial production,” said Yutaka Yamaguchi, chairman, and chief executive officer, Fujifilm Irvine Scientific. “The cell culture media that will be manufactured at this new site in North Carolina will help ensure a steady supply of raw materials for biologics, cell and gene therapies, and other key medicines that are essential to human health. The additional production capacity will ensure we meet the projected demand for cell culture media from our customers worldwide.”
Land development and construction are scheduled to start in spring 2023 with operation of the facility beginning in 2025.