Japanese megalith Fujifilm Biotechnologies has invested £400m in a significant expansion of its Fujifilm facility in Teeside, helping to mark the area as an employment hub and biotechnology hotspot.
Single use biopharmaceutical facility
The facilities expansion, to come online imminently, will include the opening of the largest single-use biopharmaceutical CDMO facility in the UK which, when the rollout is complete, will be the biggest in Europe, according to the company. The facility will employ almost 1,000 people across its sites in Billingham, Wilton, and Darlington, and staff will work in biologics, vaccines and advanced therapies.
The UK expansion will introduce 2,000 and 5,000 litre single-use bioreactors with a capacity of up to 19,000 litres to provide small and mid-scale antibody manufacturing, with the flexibility to grow and support customer programmes as needed. The manufacturing facility will be 110,000 square foot in size.
Single use manufacturing
The new single-use manufacturing facility, which uses disposable, pre-sterilised polymer-based equipment, will feature the company’s SymphonX downstream processing skid, effectively a complete piece of equipment that will run all downstream unit operations across multiple scales. This will enable scaling flexibility in fed-batch and continuous processes.
In parallel with the launch, was the opening of the Bioprocess Innovation Centre UK (BIC UK), a laboratory for both high-throughput, and continuous process development capabilities, that will operate as a centre for biomanufacturing innovation and process development.
The launch was attended by several luminaries including representatives from the Embassy of Japan, the Confederation of British Industry, the BioIndustry Association, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK; as well as Health Innovation MP Dr Zubir Ahmed, and the MP for Stockton North Chris McDonald.
Vote of confidence
At the opening, Dr Zubir Ahmed argued that the expansion demonstrated the high regard with which the UK and Teeside is held by its business partners: “Fujifim’s investment is a vote of confidence in both the North East and UK manufacturing,” he said. Ahmed also emphasised the similarities between the government’s life sciences plan and those of Fujifilm in terms of digitalisation and bringing point of care treatment to care homes.
He went on to expand on the UK government’s commitment to the sector: “The UK is an R&D powerhouse with the second highest government spend in the world – life sciences make up almost a fifth of that budget,” he said. Recent spending announcements include a £520m commitment to the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, a £1bn 10-year investment by BioNTech, and a £600m project for health data research.
Much was said about the ongoing trade connections between Japan and the UK with the British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom citing bilateral trade of £33.4bn with Japanese investment supporting over 150,000 UK jobs.
Dovetailing with government commitments
The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), originally announced on 2 March 2022, is a £60m fund to support UK life sciences manufacturing. A new, expanded iteration of the LSIMF, providing up to £520m, opened for applications on 30 October 2024.
Fujifilm Biotechnologies discussed the expansion of its site in Teeside with biotechnology partners including Thermo Fisher Scientific and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, helping to demonstrate the level of collaboration in the sector.
The KojoX ecosystem
The site is one of several in Fujifilm’s KojoX ecosystem. The KojoX model integrates modular and standard procedures with a view to creating a resilient and streamlined bioproduction network given the likelihood of sector volatility.
Such an ecosystem is designed to address the challenges of supply chain shocks, regulatory complexity, and geopolitical risks, enabling biopharma companies to deliver life changing medicines when needed.
Lars Petersen, president and chief executive officer, of Fujifilm Biotechnologies said: “This site represents the first small and mid-scale manufacturing hub in our global KojoX ecosystem, providing our partners with supply chain flexibility and agility. In leveraging KojoX, we aim to create a framework where our partners can easily scale up and out from process development through clinical and commercial.”
Speaking at the event Steve Bates the chair of the Bioindustry Association (BIA) said: “Our country has the talent, scientific excellence and industrial base to lead in advanced bio manufacturing globally. With the right policy environment, this sector can be a major engine of growth for the UK economy. This facility is not just a great new site for Fujifilm in the UK; it also showcases the North East as a place to build and scale globally competitive capabilities.”
For more information visit: fujifilmbiotechnologies.fujifilm.com