HomeAbout UsNovartis Vaccine Manufacturing Plant to Play a Pivotal Role in U.S. Flu Pandemic Prevention

Novartis Vaccine Manufacturing Plant to Play a Pivotal Role in U.S. Flu Pandemic Prevention

John J. Kirlin, LLC is currently coordinating with the general contractor and about 100 other trades on the largest bio-manufacturing construction project in the United States.

The $600-million, 300,000 square-foot Novartis Vaccine Manufacturing Facility in Holly Springs, NC will be the first U.S. facility to mass-produce flu vaccines from laboratory-grown cell cultures versus chicken eggs. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), partial owner of the facility, this more reliable and flexible production method will increase pandemic flu vaccine production by 25%, since cells can be frozen and stored in advance of an epidemic, or developed rapidly in response to one.

The on-time and on-budget Novartis Vaccine Manufacturing Facility project is scheduled for completion in February 2010. The manufacturer estimates that by 2012, over 300 employees will inhabit the facility to produce routine and seasonal vaccine as well as up to 150 million doses of vaccine within six months in the event of a pandemic.

On the same campus, Kirlin recently completed the Facility Operations Building project, which was awarded in August 2008. The “Fac Ops” contract’s fast-track schedule, with substantial completion required by January 2009, dictated that over 28,000 feet of pipe had to be fabricated and installed within the five-month period, and 37,000 diameter inches of B31.3 welding had to be completed in an eight-week window. Setting of the boilers, chillers and tanks, along with piping and equipment insulation, were also part of our scope. 

John J. Kirlin, LLC is thrilled to help build this cutting-edge facility, particularly at this time in U.S. history.