ABEC, Inc., the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-headquartered biopharmaceutical manufacturing solutions company, announced on September 10, 2026 the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for September 24, 2026. CEO Scott Pickering said: “Opening our Wilson facility represents another important milestone in ABEC’s commitment to supporting the global biopharmaceutical industry. This investment expands our manufacturing capabilities, brings us closer to customers in the southeastern United States, and reinforces our ability to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of bioprocess equipment, consumables, and engineering solutions. We are proud to become part of the Wilson community and look forward to building long-term partnerships throughout the region.”
A Four-Year Path from Announcement to Opening
The Wilson facility traces back to an $11 million investment ABEC first announced in August 2022: a 50,000-square-foot facility on 13 acres, originally expected to be operational by early Q2 2023 and projected to create 251 engineering and manufacturing positions. The plant is designated as ABEC’s third global manufacturing site for CSR single-use disposable containers used in biomanufacturing and includes an ISO-7 cleanroom, adding capacity alongside ABEC’s existing operations in Fermoy, Ireland and its Bethlehem headquarters. The release doesn’t explain what drove the roughly three-year gap between the original 2023 target and this month’s opening, or provide an updated jobs figure.
Eastern North Carolina’s Growing Life Sciences Footprint
ABEC frames the Wilson site as strengthening its manufacturing capacity while creating high-quality jobs in what it calls a fast-growing life sciences region of eastern North Carolina, adding a fifth global manufacturing location alongside Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Missouri; and its two Irish sites in Fermoy and Kells. The September 24 ceremony is set to include a ribbon-cutting, facility tours, and remarks from ABEC leadership and local community representatives, with company leadership, employees, partners, and community leaders expected to attend.
About ABEC
Since 1974, ABEC has been a global leader in delivering engineered process solutions and services for manufacturing in the biotech industry. The majority of the world’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are ABEC customers, with many of today’s leading therapies manufactured using ABEC-engineered equipment and processes. From process development and facility design to equipment manufacturing, installation, and support services, ABEC helps customers reduce cost and time to market while maximizing productivity.
