Amgen expects new Holly Springs plant to be ‘a permanent home’

HOLLY SPRINGS – Amgen has officially broken ground on its future Holly Springs facility, which a company executive described as a manufacturing plant that supports a resilient supply chain in an interview with WRAL TechWire on Monday.

The plant was announced in August 2021. Amgen will receive state incentives valued at some $12.6 million, WRAL TechWire previously reported.

The company plans to invest more than $380 million in the plant to qualify for state tax benefits but plans a total investment of $550 million, according to a North Carolina Department of Commerce spokesperson, who noted this in August 2021.

The groundbreaking occurred earlier on Monday afternoon and WRAL reporter Matt Talhelm captured the scene (see below).

Following the groundbreaking, WRAL TechWire spoke with Arleen Paulino, senior vice president, manufacturing, at Amgen about the company’s newest facility, and its future. A lightly edited transcript appears below.

Why here?

WRAL TechWire (TW): Why did Amgen chose this site and chose this region for the project?

Arleen Paulino, senior vice president, manufacturing, Amgen (Paulino): North Carolina is a competitive and attractive location for a manufacturing plant that supports a resilient supply chain, which is especially important to Amgen because of the critical medicines we supply. In addition, there is a well established biomanufacturing ecosystem with access to talent, suppliers and resources. Amgen’s selection of North Carolina was also driven by access to diverse talent.

TW: After today’s groundbreaking, what are the next steps in the construction of the facility? What is the timeline and the milestones along the way to open the plant?

Paulino: Construction began in Q4 2021 and the anticipated opening is 2025. [Editor’s Note: A prior story from WRAL TechWire noted that at the time of the initial announcement, Amgen expected to employ 355 people with hiring dates from 2025 through 2029, at an average wage of $119,510.]

Inside Amgen’s decision to build new plant, create hundreds of jobs in Holly Springs

Jobs and talent

TW: How will Amgen approach attracting, training, and retaining the talented workforce for these roles?

Paulino: We will leverage programs we have across Amgen for developing and retaining staff. We have a talent development program in our Operations organization that allows for talent development at different levels. This includes rotation programs, on the job training, etc. We will also partner with the local institutions for recruiting and training.

TW: Does the company anticipate hiring for the future roles to occur from in the state of North Carolina, and/or will talent from out of the region be necessary to fill the future roles?

Paulino: Amgen’s selection of North Carolina was driven, in part, by access to diverse talent. In 2020, Amgen became a founding member of OneTen, a coalition of large companies aiming to hire one million Black Americans into well-paying jobs over the next 10 years, with a particular focus on those without four-year college degrees.

A founding member of the OneTen Coalition, Amgen is one of 35 of the world’s largest, best-known companies that uses its resources to change the employment paradigm for Black Americans in the U.S.

TW: Just how competitive is the market for talent right now? What differentiates Amgen and this facility in particular from other employers in the Triangle?

Paulino: Amgen is committed to making North Carolina a permanent home and bolstering the surrounding community through their OneTen and Amgen Biotech Experience programs.

Innovation is at the core of what we do and this facility will be another extension of our resilient and efficient operations. Amgen’s facility will utilize new technologies to maximize efficiency and enhance flexibility as the company’s product mix changes over time.

Amgen’s North Carolina location will combine traditional stainless steel fed batch with single-use technologies, enabling optimal flexibility for multiple pipeline products in one plant, and all in a smaller physical footprint compared with a traditional plant.

The new facility will also be built to exacting environmental standards, consistent with the company’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2027.

Life science firm Amgen picks Holly Springs for plant, hundreds of jobs at $120,000 pay

The Triangle community, and its strengths

TW: What are the strengths of the region and the state, from your perspective?

Paulino: There is a generally attractive business climate in North Carolina due to its diverse and growing talent pool as well as its concentration of top ranking universities. There is a strong ecosystem to support our industry.

TW: What is Amgen’s role in the wider community and how does the company plan to be involved?

Paulino: Our staff are embedded and engaged in the communities we live and work in. We take our social responsibilities seriously and plan to find the most impactful ways we can contribute. In addition to staff engagement we will make available some of our global programs.

To further impact North Carolina’s Research Triangle region, Amgen will bring its innovative science education program, Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE), to students to spark scientific creativity that builds bridges between school education and the real-life bioscience experience.

Reaching nearly 850,000 students in 24 locations across the globe since 1990, ABE supports teachers and students in secondary schools by providing professional learning experiences, resources and equipment.

To support Amgen’s commitment to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the ABE program develops resources and implements strategies to advance opportunities for underrepresented populations. With race, ethnicity and gender disparities remaining in STEM education and career around the world, ABE employs practices that value DEI and increase access for underrepresented populations to succeed in bioscience.

To embrace the Research Triangle region’s growth in the biotech industry, Amgen donated $50,000 to Wake Tech Community College’s partner recognition program, Building Tomorrow’s Talent.

The space, named Amgen Co-Laboratory, within the new and innovative science and technology facility is set to open March 17, 2022 and will be used as an essential training workspace at the core of biotechnology innovation for the Research Triangle.