Fujifilm is investing $188 million in a new cell culture media production facility

Fujifilm is investing $188 million in a new cell culture media production facility

FUJIFILM Corporation (President and CEO, Representative Director: Teiichi Goto) today announced a $188 million investment to establish a cell culture media manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, USA. The new site will be operated by FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc., a subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation and a global leader in the development and manufacturing of advanced cell culture solutions for life science research, biomanufacturing, cell therapy manufacturing and medical applications. The new facility is designed to ensure FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific can meet increasing market demand for high-quality cell culture media solutions.

The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will be over 250,000 square feet and located on 64 acres in RTP. The site will support cGMP manufacturing of dry powder and liquid media without animal ingredients and add additional production capacity for FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific of 800,000 kg/year for dry powder, 3,300,000 L/year for liquids and 40,000 L/day of water for injection (WFI).

FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, and projected demand for cell culture media to support bioproduction and advanced therapies is expected to grow 10-12% through 2031*. To meet the needs of its customers, the company made the strategic decision to expand its capacity by building manufacturing facilities in biotech centers around the world. This strategy ensures a secure supply chain and rapid, reliable delivery of products by developing extensive regional supply networks critical to supporting cell and gene therapies.

This regional supply network shares FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific's harmonized quality system and raw materials program, allowing the company to quickly adapt to natural disasters or unforeseen problems and continue operations and delivery of products to customers worldwide. As an area popular with life sciences companies, RTP in North Carolina was selected as an ideal location that will provide improved supply chain security and more efficient shipping and delivery for customers in the region. The Fujifilm group also operates cell culture media manufacturing facilities in California, the United States, the Netherlands and Saitama and Aichi prefectures in Japan.

“Fujifilm’s intensive investment in life sciences represents our commitment to being the dedicated partner for customers in the biopharmaceutical industry,”said Teiichi Goto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Representative Director, FUJIFILM Corporation.“With the enhanced capabilities of our global cell culture media manufacturing facilities, we will continually contribute to customers’ robust manufacturing processes and the development of innovative therapies to make the world a healthier place.”

Our customers require fast and reliable delivery of cell culture media to support their commercial production,”said Yutaka Yamaguchi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific."The cell culture media manufactured at this new North Carolina location will help ensure a continuous supply of raw materials for biologics, cell and gene therapies, and other important medicines essential to human health. The additional manufacturing capacity will ensure we meet our customers' projected demand for cell culture media worldwide."

We are proud that FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific is the newest company to call Research Triangle Park home, bringing with it many new employment opportunities,”said Sig Hutchinson, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners.“Like many other global companies, Fujifilm recognizes the value our region brings to life sciences companies by offering top talent, easy access to transportation and an unmatched quality of life.”

It is encouraging when companies with a successful experience in Research Triangle Park see the benefits and continue to invest and innovate in the Triangle Region. We are pleased to have worked with FUJIFILM Corporation, their consultants and our regional partners Wake County Economic Development, Economic Development Partnership of NC and the NC Department of Commerce on this project.”said Scott Levitan, president and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation.

Property development and construction are scheduled to begin in spring 2023, with facility operations scheduled to begin in 2025.

*Bioplan, “Cultural media market and trends”, 2020

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