Ford Motor Company is expanding and renovating its research and manufacturing facilities in Michigan. Construction will begin in mid-2017 on a $200 million data center in Romeo. In 2018, a truck and SUV production facility in Wayne will be retooled at a cost of $850 million. Ford will also invest $150 million to expand its Wayne engine manufacturing plant.
Veterinary pharmaceutical firm HIPRA is planning to begin construction in mid-2017 on its North American headquarters in Mantua Township, N.J. Located on 25 acres in the South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University, the 375,000-sf facility will house research and development labs for the creation of animal health vaccines. The $100 million project will be developed in several phases and will include manufacturing, distribution, and warehouse space. HIPRA is based in Girona, Spain.
Samsung Biologics is constructing a 1.3 million-sf pharmaceutical production facility in the Songo International Business District in Incheon, South Korea. Accommodating twelve 15-liter bioreactors, the five-story facility will be the world’s largest biologics manufacturing plant when it opens in 2018. Ground was broken on the project in November of 2015.
Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex began construction in spring of 2017 on a $184 million research and advanced manufacturing center in Miramar, Fla. The facility will house the firm’s U.S. headquarters as well as accommodating R&D, production, and packaging operations. Completion is expected in early 2019.
California State University, Dominguez Hills is partnering with the Toyota USA Foundation to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education in Carson. Designed by HGA Architects with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the 87,000-sf facility will include a fabrication lab, SMART classrooms, collaborative workspaces, and labs for K-12 teacher training and demonstrations.
Adaptimmune opened its new headquarters in the Philadelphia Navy Yard in March of 2017 in Philadelphia. The 47,400-sf project will include an advanced cGMP manufacturing facility to support the development and commercialization of novel engineered immunotherapies for cancer. The facility was designed by DIGSAU and is expected to attain LEED Gold in the Core & Shell rating system. CBRE’s Life Science Advisory and Project Management Group assisted Adaptimmune during the construction phase of the project.
Just Biotherapeutics is integrating PODs® made by G-CON Manufacturing into the construction of its biologics manufacturing building in China. Located in the Hangzhou Economic & Technology Development Area (HEDA), the cGMP plant will utilize the prefabricated cleanroom units to create a highly flexible and efficient facility. Completion is expected by early 2018.
Jaguar Land Rover began construction in March of 2017 on a £200 million design and engineering center in Gaydon in the United Kingdom. Designed by Bennetts Associates, the facility will provide prototyping suites, R&D laboratories, and office space. The general contractor for the project is Laing O’Rourke.
Oerlikon Metco broke ground in March of 2017 on an 80,000-sf research and manufacturing facility in Plymouth Township, Mich. Representing an investment of $50 million, the project will support the production of alloy powders for 3-D printing and additive manufacturing processes. The facility was designed by Ghafari Associates and is being built by Kirco Manix Construction. Completion is expected in spring of 2018.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County began construction in May of 2017 on the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) in Baltimore. The 130,000-gsf facility will provide 70,000 net assignable square feet of technology-rich teaching and research space, including active learning classrooms, shared research labs, teaching labs, seminar rooms, and group project areas.
Sanofi and Lonza initiated a joint venture in March of 2017 to create a $285 million biologics manufacturing center in Visp, Switzerland. The strategic partnership leverages Lonza’s expertise in designing, constructing, and managing large-scale mammalian cell culture facilities with Sanofi’s strength in the discovery and launch of biologics-based treatments. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 on the initial phase of the project, with full operations commencing by 2020.
Boeing is planning to build a £20 million manufacturing facility in Sheffield in the United Kingdom. The 25,000-sf project will support the production of wing actuation components and systems for the fabrication division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The facility will also support collaborative research and development with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) on techniques and systems for optimizing manufacturing processes.
BELIMO Americas has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification for its North American Headquarters in Danbury, Conn. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 195,000-sf facility comprises 129,000 sf of logistics and manufacturing space, 15,000 sf of testing labs, and 51,000 sf of office space. BELIMO is a Switzerland-based company engaged in the development, production, and marketing of actuators, valves, and sensor solutions for controlling heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) announced the annual winners for the Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) program in February of 2017. The category winners were:
West-Ward Pharmaceuticals is initiating an expansion of its manufacturing plant in Obetz, Ohio. A two-story, 30,000-sf addition will accommodate the production of medication tablets, with 65 new technicians to be employed at the site by 2020. The expansion will support the manufacture of generic drugs for parent company Hikma Pharmaceuticals and is slated for completion in May of 2018. A 276,000-sf distribution facility will also be constructed at the campus.
