SCHOTT Pharma plans a syringe manufacturing site in Wilson

A planned U.S. syringe manufacturing site

SCHOTT Pharma plans to invest $371 million in its first U.S. glass and polymer prefillable syringe facility, in Wilson, North Carolina, with 401 planned jobs. Groundbreaking was expected by the end of 2024, with operations targeted for 2027. The project location remained contingent on final real estate negotiations.

The site would manufacture polymer syringes for mRNA medicines requiring deep-cold storage, alongside glass syringes for GLP-1 therapies. CEO Andreas Reisse expected local production to improve supply for drug manufacturers. The company aimed to triple its glass and polymer syringe contribution to the U.S. market by 2030.

Performance-linked state support

North Carolina approved a Job Development Investment Grant for the project on Mar 18, 2024. The agreement authorises potential reimbursements of up to $4,939,000 over twelve years. Payments follow performance verification by the state departments of Commerce and Revenue.

Targets subject to verification

Incremental job creation.
Investment commitments.

Pay would vary by position. The new jobs were expected to carry an average annual salary of $57,868, compared with the then-current Wilson County average wage of $52,619.

The state estimated that the project would expand North Carolina’s economy by $1.32 billion during the grant’s twelve-year term. That projection accompanied the conditional reimbursement agreement. The Department of Commerce led state support during site evaluation, working with partners including Wilson County, the City of Wilson and the Wilson Economic Development Council.

An existing polymer manufacturing base in Germany

SCHOTT inaugurated a polymer syringe plant in Müllheim, Germany, on May 6, 2022. That investment was in the three-digit million euro range and included a research and development centre, logistics facilities and administrative space. The site was designed to provide more than 100 additional jobs.

The German operation manufactures syringes from cyclic olefin copolymer, or COC, under the SCHOTT TOPPAC brand. Injection moulding, quality control and sterile packaging are automated and digitally connected within a cleanroom environment.

At Müllheim, inspection technology uses machine learning and artificial intelligence. The system collects manufacturing data to optimise process parameters.