Covidien launches $100 million plant expansion, adds jobs
From The St. Louis Business Journal. Friday, October 17, 2008Health-care products company Covidien Ltd. is embarking on a $100 million expansion of its
St. Louis County facilities over the next five years.
The expansion means 30 new jobs in scientific and research and development areas, said JoAnna Schooler, director of communications for Covidien’s Imaging Solutions and Pharmaceutical Products operations in Hazelwood. Covidien employs more than 2,500 people locally.
Schooler said that with the expansion, Covidien will enhance its pharmaceutical development capabilities and expand production, enabling the company to increase its speed of products to market.
Covidien, which generated more than $10 billion in revenue in fiscal 2007, is based in Bermuda. The Covidien Imaging Solutions and Pharmaceutical Products division is based in the St. Louis area. The company has seven facilities in Missouri, including six in the St. Louis area.
Expansions are planned for two St. Louis facilities: a Webster Groves research and development facility and a Maryland Heights manufacturing facility. Covidien also has facilities in Earth City, Hazelwood and Overland and a plant on North Second Street in the city. It also has a location in the Kansas City area.
In Maryland Heights, the company plans to invest $72 million to add more than 12,000 square feet to its current 364,000-square-foot plant. Construction is expected to launch in 2009, with completion scheduled for 2011. The general contractor on the project is McGrath
