On the same day that Johnson & Johnson confirmed layoffs at its home base in New Jersey, the company made waves with a major manufacturing announcement in Wilson, North Carolina.
J&J is planning to build a state-of-the-art biologics plant to provide supplies for treatments across the oncology, immunology and neuroscience treatment areas, J&J said in a Tuesday press release. Construction is slated to begin in the first half of 2025, and the site will have a workforce of 420 once fully operational.
The company's total investment in the site is expected to reach "more than $2 billion," according to J&J's release.
"We are investing in capacity and new technologies to enhance our industry leading capabilities and ensure a resilient supply chain for the future," Dapo Ajayi, J&J's vice president of innovative medicine supply chain, explained in the release. "North Carolina is an important hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing and talent, and we are pleased to join this thriving life sciences ecosystem and become part of the Wilson community.”
At a Tuesday meeting of the state's Economic Investment Committee, officials approved a 12-year reimbursement grant worth nearly $13.7 million, according to a press release from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The money is contingent on J&J meeting certain job creation and investment targets.
Over the 12-year span, the manufacturing site is expected to grow the state's economy by $2.3 billion, according to the release.
Wilson has been something of a growing biopharma hub as of late, with several large drugmakers setting up shop in the North Carolina city.
Just last week, over-the-counter medicine maker Reckitt announced a $145 million investment in its Mucinex manufacturing plant that will employ 289 people and grow the state’s economy by an estimated $1.9 billion over the course of a 12-year grant, according to a release.
J&J, too, has a production tie to North Carolina through a manufacturing suite it booked at Fujifilm Diosynth’s planned $2 billion plant in Holly Springs.
Elsewhere, the company spread its manufacturing footprint overseas earlier this year with a 580 million euro ($621.7 million) investment into its tablet production plant in Latina, Italy.