Astellas breaks ground on new facility

Astellas Ireland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas, has officially marked the start of construction of a new €330 million manufacturing facility at Kerry Technology Park in Tralee, Ireland.

The ground-breaking ceremony, held on 25 March, was attended by Irish government officials as well as project partners and senior executives from Astellas.

The new 17,000 square meter state-of-the-art facility will accelerate the expansion of Astellas’ in-house manufacturing capabilities, including for antibody drugs.

Some 600 jobs are expected to be created during the project’s construction phase, along with 100 engineering, science and technology roles once the facility is launched. The facility is planned to be operational by 2028, Astellas said.

“Today marks a significant achievement for our company and reflects our continued commitment to expansion and innovation in the region,” declared Hideki Shima, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Astellas Pharma.

“Together we hope to build something best in class, producing quality products that people need, and striving to continue putting patients first.”

The new facility will be built with “sustainability at its core”. Notably it aims to “cut water use by approximately half, reduce operational energy intensity by more than one-third, and produce zero waste to landfill (compared with LEED® baseline).”

These measures along with onsite renewable energy capacity, including solar PV panels and a biomass boiler, underpin Astellas’ climate change mitigation efforts.

Local reaction to Astellas’ investment

“I am very pleased to see the further development of Astellas, which represents the single biggest investment in Tralee town and the county as a whole for many years. This is a phenomenal vote of confidence by Astellas in Kerry. It is, in many respects, a game changer for the entire southwest region,” commented Minister for Education and Kerry TD, Norma Foley.

The news was also welcomed by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), which is responsible for attracting inward foreign direct investment into Ireland.

IDA CEO Michael Lohan, said: Today’s sod-turning is symbolic as it heralds a new chapter for this global pharmaceutical leader in Ireland and is testament to the company’s leadership and commitment to innovation, sustainability and to the Southwest Region. I wish to congratulate Astellas on today’s ground-breaking and assure the team of IDA Ireland’s continued partnership and support.”

Last year, Astellas announced plans to build the new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Tralee, where it has operated since 1990. Recently it announced further investment in Kerry, taking over the lease of the Advanced Technology Building, also at Kerry Technology Park.