Amgen to Break Ground in Ohio with $365 Million “Smart” Facility
Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Major players in the biotech industry are targeting Ohio for their new facilities, including Amgen, which recently dropped $365 million on a “digitally advanced” smart facility just 15 miles outside the state’s capital.
According to a press release from The Columbus Region, Amgen is investing big on its upcoming smart factory, which will tackle the company’s “advanced assembly and final product packaging capabilities for medicines to be distributed in the U.S.”
The 270,000-square-foot facility will be based in New Albany, Ohio, in the New Albany International Business Park. The company expects to begin work on the facility in the fall.
A state tax credit was approved for the project by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority on Monday. The tax credits are reportedly worth up to $15 million, which will be spread out over the next 15 years. New Albany also granted Amgen’s project a 100% property tax abatement for the next 15 years.
Given the size of the facility and the work Amgen expects to produce, the opening of the manufacturing center will bring up to 400 new jobs to the New Albany area. In the U.S. alone, Amgen employs approximately 14,000 workers. In March, the company acquired Seattle-based Rodeo Therapeutics for $721 million, adding more employees to its payroll.
“We are adding this additional assembly and packaging plant to our global supply chain network to support the anticipated growth in demand for Amgen medicines,” said Esteban Santos, Amgen’s executive vice president of Operations, in a statement. Santos added the company plans to include its “most advanced digital automation technologies” at the facility in an ultimate effort “to further expand biotechnology regionally.”
Arleen Paulino, Amgen’s senior vice president of Manufacturing, noted New Albany was chosen for the facility due to its “vibrant business environment, access to a growing talent pool, favorable operating costs and central location from a logistics perspective.”
Amgen’s New Albany facility will be built based on exacting environmental standards to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2027. Additionally, this facility will participate in OneTen, an organization of well-known companies dedicated to hire up to one million Black Americans into well-paying jobs over the next 10 years. Amgen is a founding member of the organization.
New Albany’s mayor, Sloan Spalding, said Amgen is “a tremendous fit” for the city, citing the company’s values and product quality. “Today is big win for our Region with respect to what Amgen brings to all of Ohio for manufacturing, research and development, education and workforce opportunities,” said Spalding.
The new facility’s expected payroll will total approximately $40 million. Those on the receiving end of this payroll include new engineers, technicians, quality assurance and quality control leads, administrators, and managers.
Amgen’s move comes after other big hitters in the biotech industry have moved facilities into the Buckeye State. Last year, gene therapy company Sarepta Therapeutics expanded its Columbus operations after opening an 85,000-square-foot building as part of the company’s gene Therapy Center of Excellence. The expansion came with plans to create 100 jobs.
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