A $6 million, 24,000-square-foot facility to research new medicines for horses and a $3.75 million, 11,500-square-foot facility to house production of antivenin for treating coral snake bites are going up on
Pfizer's Animal Health Farm in Richland Township.
Local contractor DeLoof Construction is building the two facilities, which started going up at the end of October. Both facilities are expected to be finished by the summer of 2011.
When work is complete, four full-time workers will staff the equine research and development facility, and two full-time workers will staff the antivenin facility. That will bring staffing to approximately 50 people working at the Richland Farm.
Pfizer Animal Health markets a wide array of medicines for horses. This new research facility will allow Pfizer to build upon its capabilities to study and develop new treatments for equine diseases, says Pfizer spokesperson Rick Chambers.
Workers in the building where antivenin is being made will handle the first step of the process. The manufacturing operation in Portage will handle the subsequent steps.
"This investment by Pfizer underscores the important role that our Kalamazoo County site plays in both human and animal health," says Chambers.
Kalamazoo County hosts one of Pfizer's largest sites in the world, including its largest manufacturing plant, the headquarters of Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, the headquarters of Pfizer Animal Genetics, the headquarters of Pfizer CentreSource (contract manufacturing business), and the company's North American business records center. Approximately 3,000 employees total in Kalamazoo County, are working on three campuses in Portage, downtown Kalamazoo, and on the Richland Farm.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Rick Chambers, Pfizer
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