Roche is to establish a new diagnostic manufacturing facility in China, investing 450 million Swiss francs ($463 million) over the next three years.
The Swiss-based biotech company said on Wednesday that its new manufacturing site will help meet the growing demand for diagnostic tests in China and the Asia Pacific region.
Located at Suzhou Industrial Park, the facility will be the eighth Roche Diagnostics site worldwide and the first in the Asia Pacific. It will produce immunochemistry and clinical chemistry tests, which are essential for clinical laboratory testing.
Roland Diggelmann, COO of Roche Diagnostics, welcomed the expansion of the company's diagnostics operations in China to include manufacturing. "Roche is committed to investing in China and the Asia Pacific region. The new manufacturing site will enable us to meet the growing demand for our diagnostic products, ensuring our continuous contribution to the health of people in China and the Asia Pacific region," he added.
Moreover, with the new manufacturing site located close to the company's existing China operations, "we can further increase our market responsiveness and contribute to the overall competitiveness of our business," Diggelmann said.
As it grows over the next few years, the new site will build a workforce of over 600 employees. It will be fully operational by 2018.
Roche Diagnostics has had a presence in the Asia Pacific for 40 years. It employs over 4,000 people across 15 countries in the region.
