The expansion of B. Braun’s manufacturing facility in the Lehigh Valley was highlighted in a profile of national medtech growth by Site Selection magazine, which also ranked Pennsylvania as having the top business climate in the Northeast. 
The article, “Health Care Heats Up with MedTech Boom,” leads with a photo of B. Braun’s 710,000-square-foot medical device manufacturing center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. The company announced a $20 million expansion there that will create 200 new jobs.
Gov. Josh Shapiro hailed the expansion during a visit in September.
The expansion includes upgrades to IV therapy and pharmacy admixture and compounding operations. B. Braun is creating a new workforce training center to centralize training and skills development for new and existing employees.
B. Braun “chose to continue to expand our U.S. manufacturing footprint in Lehigh Valley for its strategic location, strong manufacturing ecosystem, and access to a skilled workforce. The region’s proximity to major markets and transportation infrastructure makes it ideal for scaling operations,” B. Braun Vice President Pat Witmer told Site Selection magazine in its November issue.
“These innovations extend the benefits of our core products and reflect our strategic focus on smart automation. The Lehigh Valley site will play a key role in launching and scaling these solutions,” said Witmer, the company’s Corporate Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications.
He told Site Selection that robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning would enhance production efficiency. The long-term vision for the expanded center is “to drive innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence – powered by the dedication of skilled professionals who are committed to making a difference for patients and providers,” Witmer said.
B. Braun is based in Germany. Its U.S. headquarters has been in the Lehigh Valley, in Bethlehem, since 1979.
The company opened its production facility in Hanover Township in 1985. The expansion there is the second in the past three years.
The new full-time jobs will be created over three years, and the expansion will help to retain 1,704 existing full-time positions. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is providing $1.5 million to support the expansion and workforce training.
Site Selection reported that the expansion will be supported “by a deep pool of skilled, motivated workers in the Lehigh Valley area,” with contributions from the region’s manufacturing apprenticeship program, the Industrial Training and Education Consortium (iTEC).
B. Braun is a founding member of the program. Based on the German apprenticeship model, it brings together partners in industry, education, workforce development, and others. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) provides administrative support.
Published by Conway Data, Site Selection is an authority in the corporate real estate and economic development field. The magazine has a circulation of 41,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions.
Earlier this year, Site Selection ranked Lehigh Valley as the No. 3 mid-sized market for economic development.
The November issue also includes the publication’s annual ranking of state business climates. Pennsylvania ranked the highest of any state in the Northeast and 11th overall, up seven spots from last year.
Site Selection considers factors such as tax climate, job growth, and number of fast-growing companies that operate in each state when calculating business climate rankings. Pennsylvania also claimed the eighth spot for most Inc. 5000 companies — the fastest-growing private companies in America.
“This new ranking from Site Selection magazine underscores that our 10-year economic development strategy is producing real results and new opportunity for Pennsylvanians,” said Rick Siger, Pennsylvania Secretary for Community and Economic Development. “Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership we are competing again by investing in our economy, strengthening communities, and making government more efficient, and we will continue to find new ways to make Pennsylvania the best state in the nation for businesses to grow.”
The Site Selection Magazine ranking comes less than a month after an analysis from Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi confirmed that Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast with a growing economy.
(Top photo by Rick Kintzel)