(WXIN/WTTV): Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $3 billion expansion to a manufacturing facility in Wisconsin that is set to bring over 700 new jobs to the area.
According to a news release, the multinational pharmaceutical company confirmed its plans to extend the scope of its manufacturing facility in Kenosha County which was acquired earlier this year.
The expansion will bring 750 openings for "highly skilled" jobs that will supplement the existing workforce at the location. There are currently more than 100 employees at the location. These roles will include operators, technicians, engineers and scientists.
Construction is set to begin on the expansion site next year. The news release did not provide an exact timeline for when this would begin. Lilly noted that the construction period will bring an additional 2,000 jobs until the expansion is completed.
"Today's announcement represents our single largest U.S. manufacturing investment outside our home state of Indiana and will add to our ability to expand capacity to make both our existing and future pipeline of medicines right here in the Midwest," said Edgardo Hernandez, executive vice president and president of Lilly Manufacturing Operations. "We look forward to bringing high-wage, advanced manufacturing, engineering and science jobs to people in Wisconsin, a state that is becoming a critical geography in our global manufacturing operations."
The acquisition and subsequent expansion of the Wisconsin-based manufacturing site is part of Lilly's widespread efforts to innovate medicine productions through the use of automation, guided vehicles, robotics and production equipment.
"Southeastern Wisconsin has seen tremendous growth over the past year with major companies announcing significant investments in our state, and we are thrilled to add Lilly to that growing list with their $3 billion expansion that will add 750 highly skilled, family-supporting jobs to Kenosha County," said Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. "As a U.S. Regional Tech Hub, Wisconsin is a national leader in personalized medicine and biohealth, and through this partnership with Lilly, we're going to keep advancing research and innovation and bolstering Wisconsin's manufacturing industry, all while supporting workers, families, and patients across our state and around the world."