Cytiva has invested in additional resins production operations outside of Sweden for the first time through the acquisition of a facility from BASF in Muskegon, Michigan.

While specific financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, Cytiva has acquired the Muskegon plant from German multinational chemical company BASF and said the chromatography resins facility is part of its $1.5 billion capacity expansion investment announced in July 2021.

Cytiva plans to make the site into a 168,000 square-foot biomanufacturing center, which includes multiple buildings. Furthermore, for the first time in the company’s history Cytiva will be expanding beyond Sweden to manufacture resins and media, which are critical in purifying and analyzing biomolecules in order for pharmaceutical and life sciences firms to produce medicines.

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“After evaluating several locations in the US, our team decided this site best suited our immediate and long-term business needs,” a spokesperson for Cytiva told BioProcess Insider.

“The site is in good condition and has an existing infrastructure that will help us accelerate our timeline. It is also home to a thriving local community and workforce. It will be an extension of the technology and capabilities currently in the Uppsala site and will bring Cytiva closer to its North American based customers.”

According to Cytiva, the demand for chromatography resins and media is primarily driven by its customers and “an industry that is continuing to invest in new research and development initiatives, whether biologics or newer modalities such cell and gene therapies.”

Complete by 2026

Construction is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of this year and the first intermediates are planned to be manufactured in 2025 and technology transfer of the first completed product is expected to be finished by 2026.

Additionally, once operational the facility will employ around 200 employees.

“Cytiva’s investment in Muskegon will create good-paying jobs and build on West Michigan’s strength as a life sciences hub. I am thrilled that Cytiva is investing in Muskegon, and I look forward to further collaboration as we continue growing Michigan’s economy,” Gretchen Whitmer governor of Michigan said.