The Swiss biopharmaceutical company plans a $1.5 billion facility in Rock Hill expected to bring more than 1,500 jobs, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
Based on a release from Office of the Governor.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Commerce announced Tuesday the completion of final approvals for Octapharma’s first U.S. manufacturing and production facility, to be built in York County.
The $1.5 billion investment is projected to bring more than 1,500 jobs to Rock Hill, according to the department. The facility will be located in Rock Hill’s Palmetto Research Park and will include an administrative campus for Octapharma’s plasma donation operations, according to the department. Operations are expected to begin in the mid-2030s.
Octapharma is headquartered in Lachen, Switzerland, and was founded in 1983, according to the department. The company develops and produces medicines based on proteins derived from human cell lines and human plasma. It operates more than 40 manufacturing and office sites worldwide, including production facilities in Austria, France, Germany and Sweden.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project and awarded a $65 million Closing Fund grant to York County to help cover costs of site preparation, building construction and road improvements, according to the department.
“South Carolina’s talented workforce and strong life sciences ecosystem made it clear this was the right home for our first U.S. manufacturing facility, and we’re grateful to Governor McMaster, the Department of Commerce, York County and the city of Rock Hill for welcoming us to the Palmetto State,” Octapharma USA President Flemming Nielsen said.
“By establishing Octapharma’s manufacturing operations in York County, as well as a corporate campus for Octapharma Plasma, Inc., the company will bring more than 1,500 new jobs to our state,” Gov. Henry McMaster said.
“This landmark project underscores why global companies choose the Palmetto State to manufacture, innovate and establish corporate operations,” Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III said.
York County Council Chairwoman Christi Cox said the project “will bring more than 1,500 high-quality jobs, strengthen South Carolina’s growing life sciences industry and generate lasting economic opportunities for our residents.”
Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys said the city worked with the Department of Commerce, SCbio and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance on a development strategy, adding that Octapharma “is exactly that kind of investment, creating high-quality jobs across all education levels for generations to come.”
Individuals interested in employment with the company can visit Octapharma’s careers page, according to the department.
