BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, broke ground on a €165 million manufacturing facility in the city of Zaragoza, located in the Aragon region of Spain. The new site, which will initially encompass 8,000 square meters, is estimated to open in late 2023.

BD’s Zaragoza team will produce drug delivery devices, primarily for biopharmaceutical companies that supply the European market with drugs in pre-fillable syringes such as vaccines and other biologic drugs. The new plant will add needed capacity to support major vaccination campaigns going forward, such as the one currently taking place for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These roles will be on the front lines of building a sustainable, state-of-the-art and fully digital site incorporating the latest in intelligent and autonomous solutions,” introduced Thibault Naegelen, program director for BD’s Zaragoza facility.

BD breaks ground on its new manufacturing facility in Zaragoza, Spain to support growth of prefilled drug delivery.

“Today, more than 70% of the top 100 biopharmaceutical companies rely on BD pre-fillable syringes,” remarked Eric Borin, worldwide president of BD Pharmaceutical Systems. “This groundbreaking marks an important milestone in our ability to extend manufacturing capacity for our customers as they continue to grow their vaccine and biologic drug pipelines.”

BD will also be hiring operators and production staff to oversee the production lines closer to the site’s opening date in 2023. The site will meet high sustainability and eco-efficiency standards. By 2030, the site is expected to employ up to 600 people with an area of 30,000 square meters.

The new site is part of the US$1.2 billion, four-year USD investment that was announced in late 2020 to expand and upgrade BD’s manufacturing capacity and technology for pre-fillable syringes and advanced drug delivery systems as part of the company’s 2025 growth strategy. The Zaragoza facility will mark BD’s fourth facility in Spain.