Georgia is Home to Baxter International's New Bio-pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility

In support of the growth of its plasma-based treatments, which include treatments for immune disorders, trauma and other critical conditions, Baxter International Inc. ( IW 1000/309) announced on April 19 that it will build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgia.

In support of the growth of its plasma-based treatments, which include treatments for immune disorders, trauma and other critical conditions, Baxter International Inc., a global leader in biologic medical therapies, announced on April 19 it will build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgia.

Baxter expects capital investments at the Covington, Ga., site to exceed $1 billion over the next five years and to result in the creation of more than 1,500 full-time positions in Georgia and more than 2,000 jobs in total across multiple U.S. locations.

Construction will begin this year at the new Covington site, which will include operations supporting plasma fractionation, purification, fill-finish and a testing lab. Commercial production is scheduled to begin in 2018, with the new plasma fractionation facility adding up to three million liters of new capacity annually when fully operational. The Covington site will have the flexibility and necessary infrastructure to expand further to support additional global market needs.

In connection with this investment, the company also expects to create more than two hundred new positions in Illinois, including jobs associated with expanded filling and finishing capacity at its existing manufacturing facility in Round Lake, Ill.

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution state incentives totalling $78 million helped with the decision to locate in Georgia. The incentives include $32 million from job tax credits. Furthermore the company could qualify for an estimated $32 million in savings from a sales tax exemption on machinery and equipment plus construction materials included in a new tax law, according to the paper. Another $13.75 million grant comes from the OneGeorgia discretionary fund.

To assist the company with its workforce requirements, Georgia Quick Start will build and operate a state-of-the-art biotech training center that will "not only provide Baxter with a fully-customized training program that meets the companys start-up needs, but also builds capacity and curricula within the Technical College System of Georgia for maintaining a long-term pipeline of highly skilled employees who are well-trained in bio-manufacturing operations," according to Governor Nathan Deal's office.

In addition, the Governor's Office of Workforce Development and the Georgia Department of Labor will assist the company respectively in identifying and recruiting workers.