Fujifilm Biotechnologies Opens Largest Single-Use CDMO Facility in the UK
•February 16, 2026
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Why It Matters
The facility gives biopharma companies faster, flexible access to mid‑scale production in Europe, strengthening supply‑chain resilience and accelerating drug development for high‑need therapies. It also underscores Fujifilm’s strategic push into modular, sustainable biomanufacturing.
Key Takeaways
- •£400m investment creates UK's largest single-use CDMO
- •2,000 L and 5,000 L reactors total 19,000 L capacity
- •Bioprocess Innovation Centre doubles lab footprint, adds high‑throughput capability
- •kojoX modular platform enables rapid cross‑site technology transfer
- •Fully electrified building supports Fujifilm sustainability goals
Pulse Analysis
The single‑use bioprocessing wave has reshaped contract development and manufacturing, offering lower capital outlay and faster turnaround compared with stainless‑steel systems. Fujifilm’s £400 million Teesside expansion taps this momentum, delivering the UK’s biggest single‑use CDMO footprint and positioning the region as a hub for mid‑scale antibody production. By bundling 2,000‑liter and 5,000‑liter bioreactors into a 19,000‑liter capacity, the site bridges the gap between early‑stage clinical batches and commercial scale, a niche increasingly demanded by biotech firms seeking agile supply chains.
Central to the launch is the kojoX modular platform, a global initiative that standardizes equipment, data, and processes across Fujifilm’s sites. This harmonization accelerates technology transfer, allowing a product developed in the UK to move seamlessly to the Toyama, Japan facility or vice‑versa, cutting months off development timelines. The fully electrified, renewable‑energy‑focused building aligns with industry‑wide sustainability goals, reducing carbon footprints while maintaining GMP compliance. Together, these elements enhance speed to market and provide partners with a reliable, scalable manufacturing pathway.
Beyond the walls of the new plant, the Bioprocess Innovation Centre creates a collaborative nexus for academia and industry. Partnerships with the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and York foster talent pipelines and joint research, reinforcing the UK’s life‑science ecosystem. The centre’s high‑throughput and continuous processing capabilities enable rapid process optimization, crucial for complex therapies such as oncology, neurodegeneration and rare diseases. As demand for flexible, sustainable biomanufacturing grows, Fujifilm’s Teesside site is poised to become a strategic asset for global drug developers.
Fujifilm Biotechnologies Opens Largest Single-Use CDMO Facility in the UK
Fujifilm Biotechnologies celebrated the grand opening of its expanded site in Teesside, UK. Funded through a total investment of approximately £400m ($545m) from Fujifilm Corp., Japan, the expansion reportedly includes the opening of the largest single-use biopharmaceutical CDMO facility in the UK, located at the existing Fujifilm Biotechnologies site.
The UK expansion represents the newest addition to Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ global manufacturing network and introduces 2,000 L and 5,000 L single-use bioreactors with a total capacity up to 19,000 L to provide small- and mid-scale antibody manufacturing, with the flexibility to expand to support customer programs as needed. The 110,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility will be operational in the first half of 2026.
In parallel, the opening of the Bioprocess Innovation Centre UK (BIC UK) will serve as a high-tech laboratory for both high-throughput and continuous process development capabilities and operate as a global center of excellence for biomanufacturing innovation and process development. The over 102,200 sq. ft. facility doubles the campus’ existing lab footprint and complements the sites’ expanded Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing capabilities.
Together, these investments enhance the supply chain agility of the company’s global manufacturing network and expand its capacity to develop and produce complex medicines for conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare disorders for world-leading biopharmaceutical companies, according to a company spokesperson.
Through Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ kojoX
modular approach to biomanufacturing, a strategic global initiative to harmonize technology, equipment, systems and processes, the expanded UK operations will align with Fujifilm’s biomanufacturing facility in Toyama, Japan, enabling rapid and seamless technology transfer capabilities, said Toshihisa Iida, director, corporate vice president, general manager of life sciences strategy headquarters and Bio CDMO division, Fujifilm, and chairman, Fujifilm Biotechnologies.
The opening of the Bioprocess Innovation Centre UK (BIC UK) will serve as a high-tech laboratory for both high-throughput and continuous process development capabilities. Elkor/Getty Images
“Over the past decade, Fujifilm has invested more than £5 billion globally to grow our CDMO,” continued Iida.
“This site provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners with enhanced scalability, speed to market, and cross-site technology transfer, helping to ensure reliable medicine supply for patients in the UK and globally,” said Lars Petersen, president and CEO, Fujifilm Biotechnologies.
“This represents the first small and mid-scale manufacturing site in our global kojoX ecosystem, which provides our partners with supply chain flexibility and agility. In leveraging kojoX across our sites, we are creating a framework where our partners can easily scale up and out from process development through clinical and commercial.”
“Through academic partnerships with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Manchester, and the University of York, we are building talent in STEM and advanced manufacturing, supporting the life sciences ecosystem, and nurturing the next generation of life science specialists to make a difference,” added Jonathan Haigh, senior vice president, head of UK Site, Fujifilm Biotechnologies.
As part of Fujifilm Holdings’ sustainability goals, the new manufacturing building will be fully electrified and will maximize the use of renewable energy going forward.
The post Fujifilm Biotechnologies Opens Largest Single-Use CDMO Facility in the UK appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
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