New Alliance Launched to Help Biopharma Companies Reshore and Expand Manufacturing Operations in US
By Alex Keown
Three industry-leading life science facility and engineering solutions companies pooled their collective expertise and knowledge to form Rapid Reshore & Development (RR&D) to provide turnkey services to life sciences and biopharmaceutical industries that maintain offshore facilities and need a manufacturing toehold in the United States.
RR&D harnesses the know-how of Facility Logix, EwingCole and Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. in order to make it easier for companies seeking space in the United States to develop vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostic tools and more. The alliance was formed to meet a growing demand from pivots made by those life science and biopharmaceutical companies looking to rapidly increase their efficiency and capacity, and that’s something that even in the best of times can be difficult. RR&D was formed to meet the needs of these companies looking to establish or expand manufacturing operations in the U.S. by providing services such as project planning, site selection and more. The alliance represents an evolution from transaction-driven service models to a holistic focus on client needs, integrating an interdisciplinary team customized for a variety of individual projects.
“RR&D will make things faster and easier, Pat Larrabee, founder and president of Maryland-based Facility Logix told BioBuzz in an exclusive interview.
Larrabee described the formation of RR&D as something of an all-star team. Each of the three companies that make up the alliance is well-versed in its capabilities. Combined, they are a collection of subject matter experts that cover the full-range of areas that these companies will need to make their decisions, she said.
“We don’t have a learning curve, we’ve been doing this for years,” she added. “We have subject matter expertise and each of the alliance partners has worked together before on other projects.”
There has always been a need for facilitators to help companies based overseas or U.S. companies that have their manufacturing facilities overseas to find that firm toehold in the United States. But the pandemic that swept across the globe emphasized a need for companies to rapidly bring their products to market. Larrabee said the pandemic has brought a great deal of attention on the manufacturing needs here in the United States and RR&D intends to be part of the solution.
Jay Biggins, executive managing director of New Jersey’s Biggins Lacy Shapiro, explained in a statement that COVID-19 forced companies to establish and build out their facilities, supply chains and other resources at an accelerated pace. This near breakneck speed could result in an industry-wide bottleneck, and that’s where RR&D can come into play, Biggins added.
EwingCole CEO Jared Loos stressed that the goal of the RR&D parent companies was to create an alliance that can “collaboratively and succinctly support their (pharmaceutical and life science companies) needs from start to finish.”
Instead of a piecemeal approach, RR&D is aligning and accelerating the steps in the process to include planning and programming for potential sites and also provide key information regarding the cost of site development, pool of talent in specific areas, and even design and project management.
“Responding to these challenges calls for more than simple, cookie-cutter solutions. It requires a holistic, tailor-made approach that involves multiple firms. RR&D breaks from tradition to integrate an entire, full-service team to provide end-to-end solutions for clients through a single, coordinated effort that helps ensure certainty of execution,” Larrabee said. “This comprehensive approach enables us to deliver the depth and resources of a full-service firm with the expertise of a specialist.”
When a company signs on to RR&D, they will have their choice of places across the country to set up shop. Location will be based on their corporate need. While there are numerous hubs suitable for companies, Larrabee noted that the BioHealth Capital Region could be an ideal choice. She said the region has many positives that companies will appreciate, including the availability of a well-trained workforce, available real estate, availability of economic incentives, and more. Facility Logix has strong ties to the BioHealth Capital Region which RR&D will be able to leverage for client needs. Larrabee described it as playing inside baseball when it comes to site selection and harnessing the potential resources of the region.
Although it is a new entity fresh onto the scene, RR&D has already scored its first client. Larrabee said she was not at liberty to disclose the client at this time, but noted that having a client so soon out of the gate points to the validity of RR&D’s capabilities. She hopes RR&D will have additional clients by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Even as RR&D works with its new client, the alliance will continue to define its organizational structure. That will include financing and marketing needs. Each of the three companies is currently contributing resources in these areas, but as RR&D matures, it will need a more defined structure. Larrabee said those factors are being addressed and are expected to soon be finalized.
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Alex Keown is a freelance journalist who writes about a variety of subjects including the pharma, biotech, and life science industries. Prior to freelancing, Alex has served as a staff writer and editor for several publications.
