The $300 million biologics facility will be modeled after the company’s Singapore plant.
Motivated by newly passed corporate tax reforms, Amgen Inc. has announced plans to re-invest accrued profits into the American market, opening up a plant in the US. As of now, the location has yet to be released; the Thousand Oaks, California-based company will confirm the site whereabouts in the second quarter. The company did announce, however, that the new facility will employ approximately 300 skilled individuals. In order to complete the project, Amgen will invest upwards of $300 million towards building the biologics site. Based on the precedent of the Singapore facility, the plant could be completed in as few as 18 months, though the company still has yet to comment on the anticipated date of completion.
Amgen CEO Bob Bradway announced the expansion plan to investors, highlighting the innovative aspect of the upcoming facility. “The timing of tax reform is particularly relevant for us right now as we are on the cusp of deploying our so-called next-generation bio-manufacturing technologies, which enable us to make biologics with much improved productivity, a smaller footprint and much reduced levels of waste and environmental impact,” he stated.
CFO David Meline backed this up, noting a push towards more efficient manufacturing with an emphasis on a less impactful footprint. “We expect to complete this expansion in about half the time of a conventional plant for approximately one-third of the cost,” commented Meline.
Amgen’s Singapore facility was designed to solve challenges typically associated with biologics manufacturing, namely, the required size and cost. In order to circumvent this, the company tested current tech using modular 2,000-liter vessels. These vessels are portable and can accommodate single-use bioreactor bags and, when lined up, are capable of producing an equivalent amount of protein as those made in larger, traditional tanks. The company is eager to premier this technology on the homefront, with Meline noting that in efforts to curb inefficiencies, Amgen is “on track to meet our 2018 goal of reducing our facility footprint by 23%.”
