Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) announced today that it plans to invest $1.2 billion to expand and upgrade multiple drug-delivery facilities.
Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based BD plans to invest the $1.2 billion over a four-year period to expand and upgrade manufacturing capacity and technology for pre-fillable syringes (PFS) and advanced drug-delivery systems (ADDS) across its six global manufacturing locations, while adding another manufacturing facility in Europe, according to a news release.
Becton Dickinson’s six manufacturing facilities for its pharmaceutical systems include locations in Columbus, Nebraska; Cuautitlán, Mexico; Fukushima, Japan; Le Pont-de-Claix, France; Swindon, United Kingdom; and Tatabánya, Hungary.
The company anticipates that the Europe facility will be operational by the end of 2023. In addition to the new plant, the investment is earmarked for expansion, new product innovations, manufacturing technology enhancements and business continuity improvements.
BD has commitments for over 800 million needles and syringes to deliver future COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., UK, Canada and elsewhere — a $100 million to $150 million opportunity.
“BD invented the ready-to-fill pre-fillable syringe technology, and today’s announcement demonstrates our continued commitment to better serve our customers,” BD Pharmaceutical Systems worldwide president Eric Borin said in the release. “Since 2018, BD has added 350 million units of manufacturing capacity for glass barrel pre-fillable syringes, and this new commitment will invest in additional upgrades at all of our Pharmaceutical Systems manufacturing facilities and across multiple product categories.
“In addition, this investment positions BD to have the needed surge capacity for increased pre-fillable syringe demand during times of pandemic response or periods of significant growth of new injectable drugs and vaccines. This significant investment in one of BD’s fastest-growing business units will further advance our leadership position and enable continued strong growth in the years ahead.”
