Manufacturing

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group announced in July of 2009 that it will spend W4.1 trillion on sustainable car manufacturing projects. The company will invest in R&D and facilities construction to create a mass production system for ecological cars by 2012. Hyundai-Kia is also investing W500 billion to reduce carbon emissions at its existing factories. Hyundai Steel is building an integrated steel mill in Dangjin, which will benefit from an additional W23 billion in funding to hasten completion.

Esco announced the launch of a new range of Pharmacon Downflow Booths in July of 2009. Downflow booths are used in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries for operations such as sampling, grinding, dispensing, and filling, which generate airborne particles. The booths support processes that involve hazardous, toxic, or sensitizing materials and protect operators and adjoining areas from exposure to aerosols of the process materials.Esco Pharmacon Downflow Booths feature:

National Coatings opened the Center for Technical Innovation in Camarillo, Calif., in late June of 2009. The state-of-the-art R&D laboratory is equipped with advanced instrumentation for the creation of energy efficient roofing and coating technologies.

Coca Cola began construction in summer of 2009 on a $19 million bottling facility in Inner Mongolia, China. Slated for completion in 2010, the 140,000-sm project will produce 576 million bottles annually. The facility is Coca Cola’s 39th bottling plant worldwide.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai opened its £100 million European Knowledge Centre in Hatfield, U.K., in early July of 2009. Located on 14.5 acres in the Hatfield Business Park, the facility will accommodate 500 employees. The project includes a research laboratory, a manufacturing facility, an office building, and shared facilities. The European Knowledge Centre integrates the functions of discovery research, clinical development, production, packaging, marketing, and administration. 

Lonza Group will begin construction in early 2010 on a cell therapy production facility in Singapore. Located in the Tuas Biomedical Park, the CHF 30 million project will house cGMP cell therapeutics manufacturing facilities. Completion is expected in early 2011.

Medtronic will open the 150,000-sf Diabetes Therapy Management and Education Center in San Antonio in late summer of 2009. Medtronic will hire approximately 1,400 employees during a five-year period to staff the new facility. The LEED Silver certified building will enable the medical technology company to expand its diabetes products research and manufacturing operations.

Globalfoundries, a subsidiary of Advanced Micro Devices, will break ground in summer of 2009 on a $4.5 billion chip manufacturing plant in Malta, N.Y. The 1.3 million-sf Fab4X will be located on 223 acres in the Luther Forest Technology Park and is expected to begin production in 2012. The project will include 300,000-sf of cleanroom facilities and will employ over 1,400 people.

Siemens Energy will begin construction in August of 2009 on a 300,000-sf nacelle production facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. The wind turbine manufacturing facility will be accompanied by an 80,000-sf service and repair building. The project is sited on over 100 acres and will house 400 employees. Production will begin in late 2010.

DuPont opened its photovoltaic technical center in Shanghai, China, in May of 2009. Located at the company’s global R&D center, the facility will support materials development for crystalline silicon photovoltaic products. Housing three laboratories, the center will accommodate cell to module manufacturing, metallization, and module and reliability testing. Total facility investment at the DuPont’s China R&D Center to date is estimated at $25 million.

Althea Technologies opened its $15 million commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility in San Diego in May of 2009. The 30,000-sf building will support sterile production of vaccines, therapeutics, and pharmaceuticals.

The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation opened its 9,000-sf vaccine manufacturing facility in Rockville, Md., in April of 2009. The project will support tuberculosis vaccine development and production, as well as research into aerosol vaccine formulations. The BSL-2 facility was built by general contractor Whiting-Turner of Baltimore.

Canon celebrated the opening of its 700,000-sf cartridge manufacturing facility in Newport News, Va., on May 1, 2009. Construction began on the project in early summer of 2008. The facility will begin producing cartridges for laser printers by year-end 2009. Canon is also planning to build an R&D center for automated and robotic manufacturing technologies in Newport News.

NanoLogix began construction on a manufacturing facility for bacteria and pathogen test kits in April of 2009. Located at NanoLogix’s headquarters in Hubbard, Ohio, the 2,800-sf project will include a production cleanroom and a cold storage vault. The BNP™ Ultra-Fast test kits will be used to detect agents such as anthrax, bubonic plague, e-coli, salmonella, listeria, and enterobacter.

Kerry Group opened its $60 million Technical Center of Excellence in early spring of 2009 in Beloit, Wis. The innovation center houses application suites, research and development labs, culinary facilities, and a commercialization center for Kerry Group’s food ingredient and flavor customers. The project was constructed by Gilbane Building Company of Milwaukee and features an energy-efficient design that is expected to result in an annual energy cost reduction of 22 percent compared to conventional construction.