PCI Pharma Services to expand along Alpine and Linden roads in south Rockford
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — PCI Pharma Services is building a 155,000-square foot facility off Linden and Alpine roads for the packaging and labeling of specialty pharmaceutical devices used in clinical studies.
It marks another chapter of growth for the global drug development and manufacturing company, which less than two years ago started work on its Rockford Biologics Center at 4840 Linden Road and the nearby cold storage warehouse.
The new facility, which is between 35th Street and Alpine Road on the city’s south side, is expected to employ about 40-50 people in its first year open. It could employ up to 200 workers by year five, according to Greg Brazier, PCI’s vice president and general manager for Rockford Clinical Services.
PCI is already one of the city’s largest employers with roughly 2,600 workers here, and it has more than doubled its workforce since 2019. The company employs roughly 7,500 people globally.
Construction on the new facility began in May and it’s expected to open next June, Brazier said.
“We deeply appreciate PCI’s confidence in Rockford,” Mayor Tom McNamara said. “They continue to expand their operation through dramatically increasing their physical footprint as well as adding hundreds of jobs to our community.”
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The latest expansion here is part of broader growth for the global company, which this year also acquired Ajinomoto Althea in San Diego and is nearly finished with a new manufacturing facility in Bedford, New Hampshire. In May, it said the acquisition of Althea was part of a $1 billion investment strategy, including the growth in Rockford.
The new Rockford facility will have a dozen packaging suites, with six at controlled room temperature and six at refrigerated temperature, all for clinical trial services. There will also be offices, a large-scale storage cooler and temperature-controlled warehouse.
Brazier said PCI’s current Rockford facilities are at about 80% capacity and this expansion was needed for growth. It will continue to operate at its current locations on Assembly Drive and Logistics Parkway in addition to the new facility, he said.
“The real growth driver has been the expansion of PCI into the larger markets,” Brazier said. “We’ve continued to serve our customers well over the past 10 years and we have more and more customers coming in. …
“Auto-injectors have certainly helped, but the overall market has just improved and Rockford’s been able to produce for it.”
The new packaging and labeling facility is strategically located near its other Linden Road facilities, Brazier said. It also provides close access to Interstates 39 and 90.
The building was designed by Blakemore Architects and construction is being led by Cord Construction, both of Rockford.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
