MEBANE, N.C. — Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a new 375,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mebane, a site designed to sharply increase U.S. production of laboratory pipette tips and strengthen domestic supply chains critical to medical research and diagnostics.
The carbon-neutral “center of excellence” is capable of producing at least 40 million pipette tips per week, with automated systems that can generate 96 tips every 12 seconds. The products are essential for high-volume laboratory work such as disease research and clinical testing, and the site’s capacity is expected to help reduce reliance on overseas suppliers.
“This new facility is a cornerstone of our strategy to build a resilient U.S. supply chain and support innovation in life sciences,” said Erica Hirsch, president of laboratory chemicals at Thermo Fisher.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein called the investment a win for both the state and the nation. “Thermo Fisher Scientific’s new facility strengthens North Carolina’s leadership in the biotech sector and strengthens our domestic supply chain,” Stein said. “I am proud to welcome this global company to Mebane as it expands its North Carolina presence with 100 good-paying jobs.”
The plant has already hired 40 workers and expects to add 50 more positions across manufacturing, engineering, and business operations. Thermo Fisher employs about 7,800 people across 13 sites in North Carolina, including facilities in Asheville, Durham, Greenville, High Point, and Raleigh.
The $192.5 million project was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense, part of a 2021 contract aimed at shoring up the nation’s capacity for critical medical supplies. Thermo Fisher, which invests $1 billion annually in U.S. research and development, has more than doubled its American workforce since 2017 and now employs over 50,000 nationwide.
Industry observers note that the opening comes amid a broader push to expand domestic biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing, with North Carolina emerging as a key hub thanks to its workforce, universities, and infrastructure.
