Medtech giant BD to bring more plastic injection molding in house via $60 million expansion

Medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company; Franklin Lakes, NJ) has announced it will invest $60 million to turn its facility in Columbus, NE, into a plastic injection molding manufacturing center of excellence by 2021.

The investment will add 69,000 sq. ft. to the facility and transform it into one of the largest and most sophisticated plastic molding plants in the world, said BD in a news release. A majority of the molding work currently undertaken by third-party manufacturers in North America will be transferred in house by BD, which reportedly is one of the largest users of molded plastic products in the world. The company said that more than 700 billion units are manufactured each year for use in its medical devices.

The transformation of the Columbus-East facility will occur over a four-year period, and the company plans to continue manufacturing its current pre-fillable glass syringe production lines while the facility undergoes its transformation.

“Columbus is home to BD’s largest and longest-running manufacturing facility in the world, and we are excited to bring cutting-edge technology and production to the area,” said Steve Sichak, Executive Vice President and Chief Integrated Supply Chain Officer. “Columbus will be the centerpiece for our plastic molding manufacturing strategy for North America, supporting multiple business units in the U.S. and around the world.”

BD plans to invest $7 million to retain and retrain its associates for the different skill sets needed for plastic molding manufacturing or to facilitate their transfer to its other manufacturing facility in Columbus or other sites across the BD network. BD is working with local and state officials to develop the necessary training programs and curriculum to be administered in educational institutions in the Columbus area.

In September, BD announced a $100 million investment in its Holdrege, NE, facility to expand capacity for its insulin syringe manufacturing operations, bringing BD’s total commitment to Nebraska to $160 million in the past eight months alone. In addition to Columbus and Holdrege, BD also has operations in Broken Bow, NE, and employs approximately 2,500 people across the state.

Late last month, BD also announced that it will acquire C.R. Bard Inc., a medical technology company specialized in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology and surgical products for $24 billion. The combination will create a highly differentiated medical technology company uniquely positioned to improve both the process of care and the treatment of disease for patients and healthcare providers, said the company in a news release published on April 23.