Japan-based Fujifilm Corporation has announced a $188 million investment to establish a cell culture media manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, USA.

The new site will be operated by Fujifilm Irvine Scientific, Inc., a subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation. The new facility is planned to ensure that the company can meet increasing market demands for high quality cell culture media solutions.

The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will be over 250,000 sq. feet and located across 64 acres in RTP. The site will support cGMP manufacturing of animal component-free, dry powder, and liquid media, adding additional production capacity for Fujifilm Irvine Scientific of 800,000 Kg/year for dry powder, 3,300,000 L/year for liquid, and 40,000 L/day of Water for Injection (WFI).

The company has experienced rapid growth over the past decade and the forecasted demand for cell culture media to support bioproduction and advanced therapies is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10-12% through 2031. To meet the requirements of its customers, the company made the strategic decision to expand its capacity by constructing manufacturing facilities in biotech centers around the world. This strategy ensures a secure supply chain, and rapid, reliable delivery of products through the development of extensive regional supply networks, critical to supporting cell and gene therapies.

Fujifilm’s group also operates cell culture media manufacturing facilities in California, USA, the Netherlands, and the Saitama and Aichi prefectures in Japan.