Thermo Fisher Scientific Opens Chelmsford Biomanufacturing Facility

CHELMSFORD, MA —Waltham-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced that it opened a new biomanufacturing facility in Chelmsford this week, which will help in the production of materials for biotherapeutics and vaccines.

The $160 million, 85,000-square foot facility is located at 220 Mill Road. The company acquired the property in 2020.

When fully staffed, the Chelmsford site will employ up to 250 people in roles across manufacturing, engineering, procurement, quality, warehousing and site leadership, the company said.

According to Thermo Fisher, the new facility will help meet the growing demand for the biologic materials needed to produce vaccines and breakthrough therapies for cancer and other diseases.

The company said that the technologies produced at the Chelmsford site will be used in the purification process of developing biotherapeutics and vaccines. These technologies, according to the company, will help save time and reduce costs so that new treatments can reach more patients faster.

The new site is part of Thermo Fisher's $650 million multi-year investment to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities.

"This market continues to grow and the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies depend on our technologies, services and expertise to help deliver life-changing therapies to patients," said Jean Luo, Thermo Fisher Scientific's vice president and general manager of purification and pharma analytics.

Luo continued: "The Chelmsford site will help us provide our customers with the critical resin materials they need as they scale up production and bring new innovations to market. This ultimately helps ensure more patients get the treatments they need faster."

The new site is part of Thermo Fisher's global processing supply network that spans 100 countries, which helps to ensure that critical medicines reach patients. According to the company, the Thermo Fisher network has played a role in the production of 12 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Thermo Fisher, which has an annual revenue of $40 billion, employs more than 3,500 people across Massachusetts, where it operates over 15 facilities.