Global medical technology company Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) has announced plans to build a $65 million state-of-the-art facility in Tucson.
The new 120,000 square-foot facility will be a hub for the company’s supply chain and will serve as a final-stage manufacturing and sterilization center. The site is 32 acres and located on the northeast corner of Valencia and Kolb Road.
BD already operates more than 90 medical device and health care technology manufacturing and sterilization facilities around the world. The company hopes the new facility will be ready by the middle of 2022. As a result, BD will hire about 40 new employees, including engineers, scientists, quality control specialists, among others.
It makes sense that the company chose Tucson for its new plant. The Arizona city is centrally located between 8 of BD’s other U.S. plants and 3 of its distribution centers. This new investment also adds to the company’s current presence in Arizona, which includes a $1 billion BD Peripheral Intervention business unit in Tempe.
“Tucson is the ideal location for critical infrastructure and was selected after a careful review of a number of alternative locations in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico,” said Alexandre Conroy, executive vice president, Integrated Supply Chain for BD in a press release. “Arizona’s favorable business climate, the strength of its workforce and Tucson’s centrality to other parts of BD’s supply chain were key factors in the decision.”
BD’s mission is to use technology and innovation to improve medical discovery, diagnostics and patient care. Ultimately, the company says it can work with partners around the world to improve outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies and improve safety for health professionals and patients while also expanding access to health care.
BD says it will invest “significantly” in manufacturing and sterilization in-house as part of the company’s COVID-19 response and focus on sustainable operations. The company notes that the Tucson plant will be “one of the first in the world” with a design that meets or even exceeds the most strict environmental guidelines and it will provide a model for future BD sites.
Unsurprisingly, Tucson Mayor Regina Romeo is “thrilled” to welcome BD to Tucson and Sandra Watson, Arizona Commerce Authority President & CEO is, too.