Innovation and Technology

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s brand-new facility in Mebane, North Carolina, represents a big step forward for medical supply chains in the U.S.—and it’s all thanks to cutting-edge automation, overseen by workers drawn from one of the country’s hotspots for medical manufacturing talent.

The big numbers: The facility, whose grand opening was attended by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein in August, is capable of producing an impressive 40 million precision pipette tips per week—crucial components that enable precise liquid handling in everything from clinical diagnostics to pharmaceutical research.

• The facility will create more than 100 jobs in total, including many highly skilled (and paid) automation engineer positions.
• The opening follows Thermo Fisher’s announcement earlier this year that it would commit $2 billion in investments in its U.S. manufacturing capabilities over the next four years.

The post-COVID-19 landscape: The company started working on the Mebane project after the COVID-19 pandemic, during which there was a shortage of tips, said Thermo Fisher President of Laboratory Chemicals and Laboratory Plastic Essentials Erica Hirsch.

• Thermo Fisher worked with the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies to understand the problem with the domestic supply chain, she said.
• The answer? The company would need to invest in high-quality automation tip manufacturing, which could be scaled up as needed—especially important in the case of another pandemic.

The automation: As Thermo Fisher had learned from its operations at other facilities, the best plan for tip manufacturing is to focus on automation.

• Automation is essential to ensure consistent quality and reproducibility, not to mention a high volume of production, said Hirsch.
• The Mebane facility was a “dream opportunity,” she said, to create a highly automated facility from the ground up, instead of adding automation to an existing facility.
• The standards were high: the production lines have little direct human involvement, again to ensure every tip is as precisely engineered as possible. Each line is managed by a highly skilled technician.

The big picture: The COVID-19 pandemic also taught the company the importance of shoring up domestic supply chains and building in redundancy. In fact, said Hirsch, having redundant facilities in every region in the world has become a priority, both due to the lessons of the pandemic and to rising geopolitical tensions.

• The company has more than 7,800 workers in North Carolina, one of its major bases of operations in the U.S. Its North Carolina facilities do everything from conducting clinical research and producing pharmaceuticals to manufacturing laboratory products.

Workforce: Hirsch emphasized the close relationship that Thermo Fisher has with local trade schools and colleges, ensuring it can staff advanced manufacturing facilities like the one in Mebane.

• The company works to recruit locally and has many apprenticeship programs, including for the automation engineers at the Mebane plant.
• Mold and machine makers are also high on its list of skilled workers to train, through apprenticeships, internships and more.
• “We need to make sure we have a skilled workforce, and a workforce that spans all stages of careers,” said Hirsch.

AI: With AI on the industry’s mind, Thermo Fisher is leading the pack in integrating AI tools into all its processes, including at Mebane.

• Earlier this month, Thermo Fisher announced a partnership with OpenAI that focuses on accelerating scientific innovation, enhancing productivity and reducing complexity. As part of the collaboration, Thermo Fisher is embedding OpenAI Application Programming Interfaces into critical areas of its business—ranging from product development, service delivery, customer engagement and operational efficiency.
• AI will be critical for Mebane as it is a highly automated, data-driven facility, said Hirsch.

Looking ahead: Thermo Fisher continues to be committed to offering products that combine high-quality scientific expertise with industry-leading technologies, helping its customers to accelerate life-sciences research and develop new therapies for patients who are waiting, said Hirsch.

• “The company’s mission—to enable its customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer—fuels the passion of its colleagues and drives the many contributions they make each day,” she added.

Photo credit: Office of Governor Josh Stein