Thermo Fisher Opens $192.5M Carbon-Neutral Manufacturing Facility To Produce 40 Million Pipette Tips Weekly In N.C.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has inaugurated a 375,000-square-foot carbon-neutral manufacturing center of excellence in Mebane, North Carolina. The state-of-the-art facility will produce at least 40 million pipette tips per week, supporting the development and production of life-saving medicines and therapies in the U.S. for decades to come.

“As a global leader in life sciences manufacturing, we’re proud to serve as a growth engine for the American economy and provide our customers with a strong and agile supply chain that enables them to advance human health. The opening of our Mebane site is a testament to our larger strategy to strengthen our manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. and support continued innovation and expanded growth in North Carolina, building on the strong foundation we’ve already established in this state,” said Erica Hirsch, president, laboratory chemicals, Thermo Fisher Scientific. 

Pipette tips, essential for precision in diagnostics and disease research, will be manufactured under strict quality standards at the new site. Equipped with advanced automation, the plant can produce 96 tips every 12 seconds and 5,000 assemblies per hour, while automated packaging and shipping ensure seamless operations and scalability to meet rising demand.

“Thermo Fisher Scientific’s new facility strengthens North Carolina’s leadership in the biotech sector and strengthens our domestic supply chain,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am proud to welcome this global company to Mebane as it expands its North Carolina presence with 100 good-paying jobs.”

The Mebane site, which already employs 40 staff and expects to add 50 more, is part of Thermo Fisher’s broader North Carolina presence with nearly 7,800 employees across 13 sites. The facility stems from a $192.5 million contract awarded in 2021 in partnership with Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Thermo Fisher invests $1 billion annually in U.S. R&D and has doubled its U.S. footprint since 2017, now employing over 50,000 people nationwide.