BRISTOL, Wis. — International pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company announced a $3 billion expansion of its recently aquired Kenosha County facility on Thursday.
The expansion calls for adding 750 highly skilled jobs and will generate 2,000 constuction jobs, according to a press release. The company plans to produce injectable drugs to treat diabetes and obesity, and “future pipeline medicines across therapeutic areas” at the expanded facility.
“As a U.S. Regional Tech Hub, Wisconsin is a national leader in personalized medicine and biohealth, and through this partnership with Lilly, we’re going to keep advancing research and innovation and bolstering Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry, all while supporting workers, families, and patients across the state and the world,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.
Eli Lilly bought the manufacturing facility in the Village of Bristol from Nexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. in April. Construction on the expansion is expected to start in 2025 and take three years to complete.
“Today’s announcement represents our single largest U.S. manufacturing investment outside our home state of Indiana and will add to our ability to expand capacity to make both our existing and future pipeline of medicines right here in the Midwest,” Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said in a statement.
Eli Lilly says the expansion will include advanced automation such as guided vehicles, robotics, production equipment and other digitial automation.
The development includes a tax incentive package that’s in the works with the state and Kenosha County. Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) have not released its details to the public.
“Wisconsin’s status as a Regional Tech Hub in biohealth makes it a perfect fit for an innovative, blue-chip company like Eli Lilly,” WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes said in a press release. “WEDC worked closely with Eli Lilly to meet its site selection and workforce needs, and we look forward to partnering with them to ensure their success in our state.”
