Johnson & Johnson to invest $1 billion to build Montgomery County plant

dailylocal.com · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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LOWER GWYNEDD — Pennsylvania’s life sciences industry in Montgomery County is taking a big step forward. Global health care company Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday that it will invest $1 billion to build a cell-therapy manufacturing facility at its campus in Lower Gwynedd Township. The facility will be operated by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech and will support the production of medicines for cancer, immune mediated and neurological diseases. The project is part of the company’s previously announced commitment of $55 billion in U.S. investment in manufacturing, research and development and technology through early 2029. Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato said the Montgomery County campus — with 70 labs, 2,500 scientists, researchers and engineers — is the heart of the company’s innovation. “It is the site where most of our discovery efforts start,” he said. The new manufacturing site will support more than 500 highly skilled, high-wage roles in life sciences manufacturing when it is fully operational. “This will be not only jobs but careers that will support families and the entire community,” Duato said. In addition, the project will create more than 4,000 construction jobs during site development and will retain nearly 6,000 existing jobs across Pennsylvania. “Together, as a result of this expansion, you’re not only going to save lives, you’re going to put a whole lot of people to work, and we’re excited about that,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday. He added that Johnson & Johnson’s investment is “further cementing” Pennsylvania’s place as a leader in life sciences. “That momentum is real, you can feel it all across our commonwealth. I believe Pennsylvania is on the rise,” he said. Jamila Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, said that when a global innovator like Johnson & Johnson chooses to invest $1 billion in a community, the impact is profound. “And it means Montgomery County will continue to be where lifesaving advancements in medicine are made.” she said. Why Montgomery County? “What draws us to Pennsylvania and keeps us here, is an extraordinary workforce,” Duato said. “The talent leaving universities and community colleges and a business friendly environment has let us invest, innovate, and grow.” In building this facility, Johnson & Johnson said it continues to invest in cutting-edge manufacturing processes and in training to develop a workforce skilled in the advanced technologies shaping the future of medicine. Rick Siger, Secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, said the announcement is a huge win for the region and is not an accident. “Two-and-a-half years ago we decided to do this. We put a strategy in place, made the case for life sciences. We’ve been working hard, sticking to the plan,” Siger said. “Days like today are a validation of that approach.” Shapiro added that the commonwealth has cut red tape and is making strategic investments in key industries like the life sciences. “J&J could have chosen to put this facility literally anywhere in the world,” Shapiro said. “They did not have to expand in Pennsylvania. They chose Pennsylvania because what we are doing is working. We put forth an aggressive, competitive offer on the table, combined with speed, certainty and know-how. And as a result, J&J picked us.” Pennsylvania Support The project is supported by a $41.5 million state investment that includes: — a DCED funding proposal for up to $12 million in tax credits through the Qualified Manufacturing Innovation and Reinvestment Deduction program, — up to $2 million in tax credits through the Manufacturing Tax Credit program, — a $15 million grant through the PA SITES (Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites) program, — a $10 million Pennsylvania First grant In addition, Pennsylvania has committed to providing a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program award of up to $2.5 million to a local community college and/or technical school to help create a workforce development training program that would serve as a Montgomery County talent pipeline for the company. Johnson & Johnson has 10 facilities in Pennsylvania, totaling more than 2 million square feet focused on manufacturing, research, distribution and office operations. The company says its annual economic impact in Pennsylvania is estimated at $10 billion. Wednesday’s announcement followed the January announcement that pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly is investing $3.5 billion to build its first Pennsylvania manufacturing facility in Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh County. That facility is expected to create 850 jobs. Lilly is expanding to meet demand for weight-loss medicines.