Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has announced a $192.5 million contract award from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure reliable domestic production of pipette tips, which are used within research and diagnostic labs to dispense precise amounts of liquid. In mid-2020, the company had announced its own investments to increase pipette tip production capacity to support COVID-19 testing.

With the DoD award, issued on behalf of and in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Thermo Fisher will co-invest with the US government in building a new, state-of-the-art, energy efficient manufacturing facility for pipette tips, which are used in vital disease research and in high volumes for processing of diagnostic tests nationally, including COVID-19, during the pandemic.

The new center of excellence in laboratory consumables manufacturing and operations will be in North Carolina and designed in line with Thermo Fisher's carbon neutrality goals. Construction will be fully completed by Q3 2024, with pipette tip manufacturing starting as early as Q3 2023. The site, expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the region, has the potential for future expansion across a variety of high-demand product lines.