Industry News

Lionville, Pa.-based West Pharmaceutical Services opened its new state-of-the-art molding manufacturing plant in Kinston, N.C., in late August of 2004. Sited on 25 acres, the facility provides over 100,000 sf of industrial space for the production of medical device components. West purchased the previously unoccuppied structure for $2 million and invested an additional $28 million in facility improvements. Replacing a building damaged by an explosion, ground was broken on the plant on July 1, 2003.

General Motors Corp. is investing $203 million in a 55,000-sf expansion of its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan. The project will enable GM to start producing a Saturn model at the facility. Additionally, GM will construct a new 404,000-sf parts distribution center in Norton, Mass., that will handle automotive replacement parts shipments to over 400 dealerships in seven states.

Wichita Clinic broke ground on August 26, 2004 on a 120,000-sf day surgery center and medical office complex at Founders' Circle in Wichita, Kan. Designed by architectural firm Wilson Darnell Mann , the $26-million facility will house an 8,000-sf digital imaging center and provide services in pain management, orthopedics, ear, nose, and throat, physical therapy, opthalmology, and general surgery. The general contractor for the project is Hutton Construction. Construction is expected to reach completion in fall of 2005.

FedEx Freight broke ground in late August 2004 on its new $5 million operations hub in Greensboro, N.C. The 65,000-sf facility is sited on 30 acres and will feature 106 dock doors for loading and unloading cargo, with the potential to expand the building by another 40 doors in the future; 56,000 sf of storage pods will also be constructed. Completion is expected in eight to nine months.

Montgomery College has selected Foulger-Pratt to develop a potential $150 million life science and technology park on its Germantown, Md., campus. With a focus on developing wet lab space, the 35-acre parcel will house 700,000 sf to 800,000 sf of offices and lab space. The estimated development cost is between $100 million and $150 million; completion of the first phase is slated for early 2007. A technology incubator will be developed on a five acre section of the site.