STERIS to invest $600M, bring 335 jobs to Sanford
STERIS plc, a global provider of products and services that support patient care with an emphasis on infection prevention, plans to invest $600 million to build a new facility in Sanford, creating 335 jobs in manufacturing, R&D, distribution and operations.
Based in Ireland, with roots and multiple locations in the United States, STERIS will locate its facility at Helix Innovation Park at The Brickyard in Sanford, Lee County. It plans to build a 600,000-square-foot Chemistry Manufacturing Center of Excellence campus for developing new products and for distribution. 
“STERIS is making a major investment in North Carolina, which reinforces our state’s reputation as a powerhouse in the life sciences industry,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Decades of excellence in manufacturing and innovation have developed the world-class talent, research, and supply chain that continues to attract global companies and drive long-term economic growth across our state.”
STERIS said the construction will include several phases, starting with distribution. The new site is expected to be operational in 2-3 years. Upon completion, STERIS expects to transition its existing manufacturing and distribution of chemistries from St. Louis, Missouri, and Plymouth, Minnesota, to this new Center of Excellence in North Carolina.
“After extensive analysis of our existing facilities and customer demand, we have decided to make a significant investment in the United States to support our long-term global growth,” said Dan Carestio, president and CEO of STERIS. “Creating a formulated chemistries Center of Excellence will allow us to accelerate innovation, expand capacity and optimize our U.S. chemistries manufacturing and distribution network. Our customers save lives every day, and with this investment we will be well positioned to support their needs for years to come.”
STERIS said it selected North Carolina due to, among other things, the availability of key technical knowledge and skills in a growing region.
STERIS’ operation in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awarded to STERIS Corporation, which was approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. This incentive is estimated at $3,213,000 over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, which is expected to grow the state's economy by $1.8 billion in the same time period.
Although salaries for positions will vary, the average annual salary will be $68,704.
An emerging hub in Lee County
Sanford Area Growth Alliance CEO Jimmy Randolph said STERIS coming to Sanford and Lee County is further proof of the community’s strength as an emerging hub for healthcare and related manufacturing.
“STERIS is the latest company to recognize the value of our skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, high quality of life, and proximity to the Research Triangle, following in the footsteps of Pfizer and recent additions Astellas Gene Therapies and Kyowa Kirin,” Randolph said.
“With a strong mix of manufacturing expertise and innovative thought leadership, North Carolina is an ideal location for STERIS' new Center of Excellence,” said Christian Brown, director of life sciences economic development for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. “This facility will be a valued addition to Lee County and will support both the life sciences and healthcare communities in ensuring they have the chemical cleaning solutions needed to protect patients and advance science.”
In addition to the state Dept. of Commerce, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, and the Sanford Area Growth Alliance, other partners who helped bring STERIS to North Carolina include the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Rail Division, the North Carolina Railroad Company, the North Carolina Community College System, Central Carolina Community College, Duke Energy, Enbridge Gas North Carolina, Norfolk Southern, City of Sanford, TriRiver Water, and Lee County.
“The new investment in our community by STERIS isn't just bringing 335 good-paying new jobs to Lee County,” said Lee County Board of Commissioners Chair Samantha Martin. “It's creating 335 opportunities for our residents to have meaningful careers and prosperous lives without leaving home. While many smaller communities in our nation struggle to find good job opportunities, forcing some locals to search elsewhere for work, Lee County is instead adding to its roster of high-quality employers. This announcement by STERIS is great news for this generation of job seekers, and a signal to all who come after that Lee County has strong prospects right here at home.”
Sanford Mayor Rebecca Salmon said, “We are excited to welcome STERIS to Sanford, which is quickly establishing itself as one of the premiere destinations for major healthcare manufacturing projects in North Carolina and on the East Coast. Our city is thrilled to partner with a company so strategically focused on providing products and services that support patient care with an emphasis on infection prevention.”
Large investment from STERIS
The planned Sanford facility represents STERIS’ largest-ever single investment in manufacturing in the company’s history, the company said.
It also will become a neighbor to Kyowa Kirin, the Japanese pharma company that is building a $530 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Helix in Sanford. That 171,700-square-foot, two-reactor facility will accelerate Kyowa Kirin’s development and production of biologic therapies for patients with rare and serious diseases.
Companies that provide chemicals, materials and even packaging for life sciences companies often locate their facilities near pharmaceutical manufacturers to support streamlined logistics.
Several life sciences support companies have announced plans to build facilities in North Carolina, including:
STERIS joins several life sciences-related companies that in the past several years have announced plans to build facilities in North Carolina:
- Nipro Medical will invest $397.8 million to develop a new medical equipment manufacturing facility in Greenville, creating 232 jobs.
- SCHOTT Pharma USA will invest $371 million in a new manufacturing site in Wilson, creating 401 jobs. The site will produce pre-fillable polymer and glass syringes for injectable medicines made by pharmaceutical clients.
- Neopac US will invest $10 million to expand its production of packaging tubes for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in Wilson, creating 27 jobs.
- Ypsomed Manufacturing USA, a Swiss medical device company, announced plans to invest $195.4 million at its first North American manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, creating 62 jobs.
- Healsee Capsules announced it will invest $56 million to acquire a building in Bessemer City, 25 miles west of Charlotte, to create a pharmaceutical capsule manufacturing plant, creating 175 jobs.
- Groninger USA, an international manufacturer of filling and closing machines for the pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare and cosmetics industries, announced a $15.1 million expansion of its manufacturing operations in Charlotte, creating 60 jobs.
Long history in infection control
STERIS began operations in 1890 in Erie, Pennsylvania, when the American Sterilizer Company pioneered steam sterilization technologies that would shape the future of infection prevention.
In the 1980s, after a series of mergers and acquisitions, STERIS evolved to include the STERIS Life Sciences division. That same decade, STERIS developed the first GMP-compliant component sterilizer. In 1990, STERIS introduced the first ready-to-use, peracetic acid-based technology for cleanroom disinfection and the invention of the first vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) decontamination system, revolutionizing biodecontamination in aseptic environments.
STERIS has been leading the industry in contamination control for decades, from steam sterilization to the latest in cleanroom technologies.