Thermo Fisher Opens New Single-Use Technology Plant in Tennessee

Less than a year after announcing it would double its capacity to manufacture single-use technologies (SUT) products, Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a giant SUT facility in Nashville, Tenn.

The $105 million 400,000-square-foot facility will produce customizable, SUT bioprocess containers and fluid transfer assembly systems needed by biopharma companies to make vaccines and other injectable biologics, such as those used to treat cancer, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

Over the past few years, SUT has become “the preferred platform for development of biologics and vaccines, creating unprecedented demand,” the company said.

Manufacturers using SUT can set up production much more quickly as the equipment arrives sterile, avoiding the weeks of cleaning/sterilization/validation required with reusable stainless-steel equipment. The SUT equipment also allows for a smaller facility footprint and lower construction costs, according to Thermo Fisher.

When completed, the site will include 92,000 square-feet of clean room and a dedicated line for the company’s bioreactor. The site currently employs approximately 300 people, with another 1,100 jobs expected to be added.