QIAGEN Announces Manufacturing and Research Facility in Maryland
QIAGEN intends to build its North American Manufacturing and Research and Development Headquarters at this location in Montgomery County, which is considered to be one of the world's leading centers for cutting-edge academic and industrial biotechnology. Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for March 22, 2000. The planned, 190,000-square-foot facility will consist of several buildings in a campus-like arrangement and is intended to accommodate over 200 employees in manufacturing as well as 100 employees in research and development. First manufacturing activities are currently expected to be initiated in the second half of 2001.
"We are very excited to have found the ideal spot for QIAGEN's North American research and manufacturing operations. This location not only provides an excellent environment for expanding QIAGEN's R&D program, but it also will become another strong pillar in our world-wide manufacturing strategy," said Michael W. Burgett, QIAGEN's Vice President of Operations. "As in our other manufacturing operations, we here intend to combine our expertise in manufacturing with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and quality standards to serve the needs of our customers in research, genomics, diagnostics and gene therapy."
"This announcement by QIAGEN supports the Administration's commitment to economic development and reinforces Maryland's position as a pro-business state,'' said Governor Parris N. Glendening, who met with officials from the company last year. ``Maryland offers a wealth of assets for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, including world acclaimed biotech companies, research institutes such as the National Institutes of Health, and a highly skilled workforce meeting the needs of the industry."
QIAGEN Inc., a Netherlands holding company with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Australia and Canada, believes it is the world's leading provider of innovative enabling technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids. The Company has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 280 proprietary, consumable products for nucleic acid separation, purification and handling, nucleic acid amplification, as well as automated instrumentation and related services. QIAGEN's products are sold in more than 42 countries throughout the world to academic research markets and to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company is positioning its products for sale into developing commercial markets, including DNA sequencing and genomics, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy. QIAGEN employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide.