A new drug manufacturing facility is coming to North Carolina thanks to Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. On Thursday (March 18), Gov. Roy Cooper announced that the company plans to build a large facility in Holly Springs that will create 725 "good-paying" jobs and invest $2 billion in the state, ABC 11 reports.
Fujifilm announced in January that it was considering the Tar Heel State for its newest facility, but it was also considering a spot in Texas. Ultimately, the company landed on Holly Springs, just outside Raleigh. On Thursday, Gov. Cooper said there was strong competition to bring the facility to North Carolina, but the company "ended up in the right place."
According to ABC 11, the $2 billion project will build a drug manufacturing center in Holly Springs as part of its largest end-to-end pharmaceutical production. It will be the largest cell culture contract development and manufacturing facility in North America, Fujifilm Diosynth Chief Executive Martin Meeson said.
"North Carolina is home to a talented and dedicated workforce, and businesses across the world know that," said Cooper. "Fujifilm's investment will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to our state and confirms the Triangle's role as a hub for biotech medicine."
Fujifilm's news comes the same day that internet giant Google said it plans create up to 1,000 jobs in Durham through a new engineering hub focused on cloud computing. Two announcements of this caliber showcase the continued job growth across the state.
"In the midst of a global pandemic, North Carolina is finding opportunity ... we are seeing strong job growth," Cooper said. "Today is another shining example of that."
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