Bracco Plans $230M Sanford, NC Plant, Its First U.S. Factory, With 200 Jobs

Bracco is coming to Sanford, NC. The Milan-based diagnostic imaging company Bracco will invest $230 million to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Sanford, Lee County, a sterile facility that will produce injectable contrast media and create 200 jobs, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced Tuesday, October 27 (N.C. Department of Commerce).

What Happened

Stein announced the project at the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee meeting in Raleigh (The News & Observer via Yahoo News). The committee approved a Job Development Investment Grant for Bracco Imaging Operations USA LLC the same day (N.C. Department of Commerce). Contrast media are drugs injected before imaging scans to make blood vessels and organs easier to see (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

Bracco was founded in 1927, is family-owned, and has production facilities in Europe, Asia and Canada (N.C. Department of Commerce). Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, vice chairman and CEO of Bracco Imaging, said producing injectable contrast media in Sanford “brings our supply closer to American hospitals and patients” and called the U.S. the company’s largest market (N.C. Department of Commerce).

What Is Confirmed

• Investment: $230 million (N.C. Department of Commerce).
• Facility: A new sterile manufacturing plant for injectable contrast media, the company’s first U.S. location (N.C. Department of Commerce).
• Jobs: 200, in manufacturing, engineering, technical, support, quality, warehousing and administrative roles (N.C. Department of Commerce), to be created between 2028 and 2031 (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).
• Wages: A minimum average wage of $103,164 (The News & Observer via Yahoo News), with an estimated annual payroll impact of more than $20.6 million (N.C. Department of Commerce).
• Location: Sanford in Lee County, a Tier 2 county under the state’s economic tier system (N.C. Department of Commerce).

The state did not disclose the building size, site address, construction start or opening date (N.C. Department of Commerce).

Incentives

The JDIG grant could reimburse Bracco up to $2,859,300 over 12 years, paid only after the company meets job and investment targets verified each year (N.C. Department of Commerce). The state projects the project will add $1.78 billion to North Carolina’s economy over 12 years and estimates a return of $4.97 in state revenue for each dollar of potential cost (N.C. Department of Commerce). Because of the JDIG award, up to $317,700 will go to the state Industrial Development Fund Utility Account, which helps rural communities pay for infrastructure (N.C. Department of Commerce).

Partners named in the announcement include the N.C. Biotechnology Center, Central Carolina Community College, Lee County, the City of Sanford, the Sanford Area Growth Alliance and Duke Energy (N.C. Department of Commerce).

Officials’ Comments

“I am pleased to welcome Bracco and its investment to North Carolina,” Stein said, citing the state’s strengths in manufacturing, innovation and workforce development (N.C. Department of Commerce). Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said Bracco’s choice of Lee County reflects the strength of the region’s life sciences sector (N.C. Department of Commerce). State Sen. Jim Burgin called the project “a strong vote of confidence in our community, our workforce” (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

How It Fits the Pharma Building Trend

Bracco joins a run of drug and life sciences plants announced in the U.S. this year, part of a wave of large pharmaceutical campus projects tied to onshoring supply. The company framed its own decision around shortening supply lines to U.S. hospitals (N.C. Department of Commerce).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Process and cleanroom contractors: The plant is described as a sterile injectable facility (N.C. Department of Commerce), a building type that typically involves controlled environments, high-purity utilities and validation work.
• Regional trades: Hiring from 2028 to 2031 suggests design and construction in the years before, though the schedule has not been released (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).
• Utilities and the county: Duke Energy is named as a partner, and the $317,700 utility account contribution supports rural infrastructure (N.C. Department of Commerce).
• Owners weighing North Carolina: The deal shows the state continuing to use performance-based JDIG grants to land life sciences manufacturing (N.C. Department of Commerce).

What to Watch

Watch for the site location, building size, design-builder or general contractor selection, and a construction start date from Bracco or Lee County officials.

Bottom Line

Bracco will spend $230 million on its first U.S. plant in Sanford, North Carolina, making sterile injectable contrast media and adding 200 jobs between 2028 and 2031, backed by a performance-based state grant worth up to $2.86 million (N.C. Department of Commerce; The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

Key Questions

How much is Bracco investing in Sanford, NC?

Bracco is investing $230 million in a new sterile manufacturing plant for injectable contrast media in Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina (N.C. Department of Commerce).

How many jobs will the Bracco Sanford plant create?

The Bracco plant in Sanford is expected to create 200 jobs between 2028 and 2031 at a minimum average wage of $103,164 (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

What will Bracco make in North Carolina?

Bracco’s Sanford plant will produce injectable contrast media, drugs used to make blood vessels and organs easier to see on imaging scans (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

When will the Bracco Sanford plant be built?

Bracco and the state have not disclosed a construction start or opening date for the Sanford plant; the jobs are scheduled to be created from 2028 through 2031 (The News & Observer via Yahoo News).

Related Coverage

• Pharma Campus Wave: Five U.S. Drug Plant Projects Total $13.15 Billion
• Update: Lilly Breaks Ground on $5B Richmond-Area Drug Plant
• Pharma’s $480 Billion U.S. Construction Wave: What Onshoring Means for Builders and Owners

Image credit: Walter Otto on Unsplash. Image from Unsplash; no project image was released with the announcement.

Sources

• N.C. Department of Commerce via EIN Presswire, Governor Stein Announces Italian Diagnostic Imaging Company to Invest $230 Million in Sanford for its First U.S. Manufacturing Plant, https://www.einpresswire.com/article/952614236/governor-stein-announces-italian-diagnostic-imaging-company-to-invest-230-million-in-sanford-for-its-first-u-s-manufacturing-plant
• The News & Observer (via Yahoo News), $230M investment announced for new NC manufacturing plant. What it means for jobs, https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/230m-investment-announced-nc-manufacturing-161148363.html