Oct 12 2007
Thermo Fisher Scientific , the world leader in serving science, today announced its plan to construct an $11 million, state-of-the-art BioCenter for the manufacture of single-use bioprocess containers (BPCs) and related products at the site of its existing bioprocess production business unit in Logan, Utah.
The BioCenter investment is a response to the increasing demand for disposable bioprocessing technology among customers in the life-sciences research, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Bioprocess containers serve cell-culture applications as well as the production of protein-based drugs, and are used in mixing, storage and transportation of bioprocessing fluids and for bioreactors (used to grow cells, proteins and other biochemically active substances). Single-use bioprocessing components eliminate the risk of batch-to-batch cross contamination and significantly reduce startup costs for customers.
"We are excited about the expanded capabilities that our BioCenter will provide," said Marc N. Casper, executive vice president of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "The market outlook for the bioprocessing industry continues to be very bright as there are thousands of biotech products under development. This investment will allow us to better meet the needs of our customers as they work toward new therapies for treating disease and improving health."
The 37,000-square-foot facility is expected to be complete by the fall of 2008. It is the first of a three-phase construction plan that will create a 94,000-square-foot BioCenter over the next four years, replacing and expanding an older BPC operation in Logan. The new operation will include an administration building, sera and liquid-media processing facility, powdered- media facility, warehouse and the existing BPC facility. The initial project is expected to create 75 new jobs, both in production and management functions.
Products to be manufactured in the new facility include the Thermo Scientific HyClone BPC line - ranging from simple bioprocess containers, to complex bioprocessing systems and custom-designed units for a variety of applications. This offering includes sterile fluid-handling bags, bag manifold systems, tank liners, chambers, biopharmaceutical tubing and other accessories, as well as the recently introduced Thermo Scientific HyClone Single-Use Bioreactor (S.U.B.) and Single-Use Mixer (S.U.M.).