Schott Pharma bringing 400 jobs to Wilson
Wilson Economic Development Council Director Jennifer Lantz presented Schott Pharma’s plans for a manufacturing facility in the Campus at 587 industrial park to the Wilson County Board of Commissioners and Wilson City Council, which approved tax incentives for the project during a joint meeting on Monday. The Schott Pharma plant will create between 361 and 401 new full-time jobs with an average salary of $55,769. Christopher Long | Times
Schott Pharma, a branch of Schott North America Inc., annouced its expansion to Wilson on Monday morning, bringing hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic investment into the community.
Schott Pharma is a specialty glass manufacturing company based in Germany with 16 sites and 4,600 employees worldwide. Its 17th manufacturing facility located in Wilson County’s Campus at 587 industrial park will bring 361 to 401 new jobs and between $333.9 million and $371 million in economic investment. Wilson Economic Development Council Director Jennifer Lantz said the glass manufacturer will pay an average annual salary of $55,769.
“These are very exciting times,” Schott North America Inc. President Chris Cassidy said in a Monday interview. “It’s a tremendously important project for Schott and the health care industry. My hope is that it’s a tremendously important project for North Carolina as well.”
Cassidy said the company chose Wilson for several reasons.
“Wilson County stood out during a nationwide search due to the pool of strong, talented individuals,” Cassidy said. “The proximity to the Research Triangle, expanding in the U.S. addresses a lot of domestic needs, so all these factors came together to make Wilson a prime location.”
Cassidy said construction crews should break ground on the facility by year’s end. He expects Schott Pharma to be commercially operational by 2027 and fully operational by 2030 with up to 401 full-time employees on board.
“The type of skills required are ones that can be generated and learned via technical schools in the area,” Cassidy said. “That’s one of the impressive things about North Carolina and (the Research Triangle Park area). So many institutions are able to provide technical training applicable to manufacturing systems. We’re looking to employ in quality control and engineering, manufacturing management — we have a wide array of jobs required to make this operational.”
Cassidy said Schott is a leader in its field and its reputation sets it apart from its peers in pharmaceuticals.
“In 2023, 1,800 health care and pharma companies were our customers worldwide, including all of the top 30,” Cassidy said. “ We are continuously selected by the health care industry because of outstanding quality, safety to patients and high performance of containers and systems. On average, 25,000 injections are given per minute around the globe through Schott products.”
The Wilson City Council and Wilson County Board of Commissioners held a joint public hearing Monday morning to approve economic incentives for the Schott manufacturing plant.
“We’re looking at the incentives for a large project,” Lantz said. “I fully believe the company is going to hire 400 people and invest $371 million. In fact, I think their estimate will go beyond that.”
Without discussion, each body unanimously approved $8,096,870 in annual economic incentives for the facility, including utility and infrastructure grants.
State Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, said the company’s expansion is a big boost for Wilson’s economy.
“This is a great day for Wilson and really the whole region,” Newton said. “This is the beginning of more good things to come. Schott’s role in life sciences and pharmaceuticals is critical. A lot of companies are their customer, and them wanting to come here says great things. This is going to be a big shot in the arm for our local economy. I’m really excited for the things to come.”
Rep. Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson, said the business shows how Wilson has grown as a whole over the past decade.
“I think the overall health of our community, especially when it comes to socioeconomic status, is going to continue to improve because of projects like this,” Fontenot said. “The measure of our success is where we started economically five, 10 years ago and where we’ll be in five or 10 years. Clearly, we’re headed in the right direction.”