In Holly Springs, North Carolina, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies North Carolina, Inc. will invest $1.2 billion to expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility, creating 680 new jobs in Wake County. Initial investments of the FUJIFILM’s Holly Springs operation included $2 billion in 2021, making it the largest end-to-end biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in North America.
“North Carolina is known worldwide as a biotechnology hub thanks to the continued investment from companies like FUJIFILM Diosynth,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “Our robust infrastructure, top-notch engineering talent in the state, and partnerships with entities like NC State University and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center provide support for innovative companies like FUJIFILM to continue to grow.”
In October 2023, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Sanders, and Chung met in Japan with leaders from Japanese businesses in North Carolina, including FUJIFILM President and CEO Teiichi Goto, to discuss the continued partnership and the company’s facilities in the state. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ expansion includes an additional large-scale monoclonal antibody Drug Substance manufacturing capacity that will support the company’s growing biologics CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) business. The project will also include two additional drug substance manufacturing buildings, a shared headblock building with administrative space, as well as expansions of utilities, lab, and warehouse buildings currently under construction. The average salary for new positions at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies will be $109,923, which is notably higher than Wake County’s average wage of $74,866.
Over the last 10 years (2014-2023), Japan has announced 9,220 jobs and $17.58 billion in investment in North Carolina. Currently, more than 30,500 North Carolinians work for Japanese companies such as HondaJet, Morinaga, and Sumitomo Forestry. In 2021, Toyota announced it would build its first North American battery manufacturing plant in Liberty, NC, investing $1.29 billion and creating 1,750 jobs. Since then, Toyota has announced three additional expansions bringing the project’s total capital investment to $13.9 billion and 5,000 new jobs. More recently, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., a lithium-ion battery pouch manufacturer, announced it will invest $233 million to build its first U.S. advanced manufacturing facility in Linwood, NC, creating 352 new jobs in Davidson County.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina recognizes the North Carolina Department of Commerce as well as other key partners involved in the project, including the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Community College System, Wake Technical Community College, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Japan Center, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Capital Area Workforce Development, Wake County, the Town of Holly Springs, and Wake County Economic Development, a program of the Raleigh Chamber.
