Steamfitters Local 638 upgrades Kedrion Biopharma–$120 million project

Shown above are members of the Steamfitters Local 638, with business agent Norton at the Kedrion Biopharma production plant - Melville, NY

Melville, NY Kedrion Biopharma, specialists in collecting and fractionating blood plasma, is in the final stages of a $120 million upgrade to its only U.S. production facility, which spans 11 acres on Duryea Rd. along the Rte. 110 corridor. The expansion will add 80 full-time, permanent jobs to the Long Island region.

More than 150 members of the Building & Constructions Trade Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the majority of them local residents, are carrying out the year-long expansion process. The project is expected to be complete this fall. Nearly 70 Steamfitters Local 638 members are installing 21,000 ft. of a hygienic piping system to enhance the safety and purity of Kedrion Biopharma products. 

The renovation of the 105,000 s/f complex will enable Kedrion to increase its capacity to provide therapies distributed around the world to patients and children with rare and serious diseases and conditions. When complete, the facility will be fully integrated into Kedrion’s system of international production plants. It will bring the total number of plants in that system to six; the five others are located in Italy and in Hungary.

“Kedrion Biopharma’s commitment to patients and the excellence of its products are evident in the fact that it has ensured only the highest quality of work is done on the renovations as it expands here on Long Island,” said Matthew Norton, Steamfitters Local 638 business agent – Western Suffolk County.

“Steamfitters are proud to contribute to Kedrion Biopharma’s lifesaving mission and we are equally committed to installing the best, most technologically-advanced equipment to support the company’s growth. We are applying advanced skills, such as orbital welding, which delivers a seamless weld and keeps any contaminants outside of the piping. This enables the project to be completed to the highest standards,” said Norton. 

“The sizeable investment Kedrion is making in the Melville plant once again demonstrates the commitment we have to exceling in the U.S. market and elsewhere, said Rudy Rosolen, COO, Kedrion. “When complete, this complex new construction project will help to ensure a ready supply of products on which a growing number of patients depend.” 

Kedrion Biopharma processes about 2.5 million liters of plasma annually. Its first and only U.S. production facility was acquired in Long Island in 2011. Kedrion Biopharma’s 120 current employees have assisted in the testing and validation processes throughout the renovation. 

Kedrion Biopharma produces and distributes therapeutic products used to treat and prevent certain rare and serious disorders, such as hemophilia, primary immune deficiency, chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy, and Rh disease of the newborn. Through its affiliates, Kedrion Biopharma also owns and operates 21 blood plasma collection centers located in the U.S., Germany, and Hungary, and plans to bring others online in the near future. Later this month, pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Kedrion Biopharma anticipates bringing a new rabies immune globulin to the U.S., for use in preventing rabies.