DANVERS — Millipore Corp. opened a new manufacturing facility inside its Cherry Hill Corporate Center building yesterday in a move that will produce 120 jobs here by the end of the year, company officials said.
The new, 33,000-square-foot "bioprocess" facility shares space with the Billerica-based company's "bioscience" division.
The combined work force will eventually be 268.
Lt. Gov. Tim Murray yesterday took a tour of the company's new, $3.5 million facility, before touting the state's $1 billion life sciences initiative and hoisting giant scissors during a ribbon-cutting.
Murray peered through a window into a 12,500-square-foot clean room where workers stood at tables wearing white coveralls and blue hair nets, assembling what looked like large plastic bags with tubes attached.
"We are looking for assembly skills," said Chris Ross, director of manufacturing operations, to Murray, "people with attention to detail. ... It's light manufacturing work, and we have a great work force around Danvers to pick from."
The plant manufactures a line of disposable products called Mobius.
Millipore's products help drug companies make cancer medicines or vaccines "to be manufactured in a simple, flexible and cost-effective way," said Martin Madaus, chairman, president and CEO. "That's our mission. That's why we exist."
Officials for the company, which employs 6,000 worldwide, said it was good news during a recession to be adding jobs.
Millipore purposefully consolidated its disposables production in Massachusetts, Madaus said. The company came into the business a few years ago with the acquisition of a California company. It also expanded its facility here in 2002.
Town Manager Wayne Marquis, selectmen Chairman Gardner Trask and North Shore Chamber of Commerce President Robert Bradford were also on hand.
"I'm happy to have them here," Trask said. "Happy for the opportunity for jobs."
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salem news.com.
all about Mobius
The plastic bags workers were assembling in a 12,500-square-foot clean room yesterday were part of the company's Mobius single-use technologies, equipment that drug and biotech companies would use as they switch from stainless steel systems to disposable ones. The company plans to produce a wide range of components in Danvers.
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