Contract manufacturer Phillips-Medisize Corp. is building clean room suites that expand capabilities for filling, drug handling, electronics and connected devices at a 380,000-square-foot facility in Little Rock, Ark.
Construction is expected to be done in time for the first customer to begin production in the second quarter of 2018.
Acquired in 2016 by Molex LLC, whose parent company is Koch Industries, the purpose-built clean rooms, FDA registration and ISO 13485 certification represent an investment that aims to combine Molex's existing electronics production operation with Phillips-Medisize' platform for drug delivery and medical device expertise.
“Phillips-Medisize is excited to align with Molex on the transformation of the Little Rock facility, which will be a center of excellence for connected health and drug delivery devices and manufacture products that fit in today's world of innovative devices,” Phillips-Medisize CEO and President Matt Jennings said in a news release.
The facility will be able to accommodate large programs requiring extensive assembly and molding operations in controlled environments, he added.
“The facility will have a particular focus on mid- to high-volume diagnostics, medical device and drug delivery systems that integrate electronics and digital applications, and will provide us with the additional space needed to reach our growth objectives over the upcoming years,” Jennings said.
The expansion is the sixth in as many years for Hudson, Wis.-based Phillips-Medisize. Most recently, the company completed construction of an 80,000-square-foot facility in Menomonie, Wis.