Amgen to Build High-Tech Plant in Rhode Island

Amgen Inc. will build a new manufacturing plant at the site of its existing facilities in West Greenwich, R.I., the pharma company announced Tuesday. The facilities will implement green technology and a streamlined design that will improve its production capabilities at about half the operating cost of traditional plants, Amgen said. In a statement, the Thousand Oaks company described the facility as the country’s first “next-generation” biomanufacturing plant. It will include portable and disposable equipment that will boost its ability to manufacture different medications concurrently and eliminates the need for retrofitting, the firm said. It will also have fewer carbon emissions and lower consumption of water and energy compared to similar plants. Amgen built its first next-generation plant in Singapore in 2014. The facility took 17 months to build – about half the time it takes to build a traditional plant, according to Amgen. The company expects a similar timeframe for its new facility in Rhode Island. Amgen decided to construct the plant in the U.S. rather than overseas to take advantage of tax incentives for technology investments, a component of recent U.S. federal tax reform laws, the company said. Around 150 employees are expected to work at the plant. Shares of Amgen (AMGN) jumped $3.51, or around 2 percent, on Tuesday to close at $173.13 on the Nasdaq.