According to company reports, Lincoln’s Pfizer plant will increase its manufacturing department by 15 percent. Pfizer manufactures and develops animal vaccines in Lincoln at the plant the company has called a “center of excellence” for vaccine production. The company employs 500 people and has invested over $100 million in the past five years at the Lincoln plant.
A number of changes have occurred since Pfizer purchased Wyeth Corp. last year. The company continues to find opportunities to expand in Lincoln in order to “improve manufacturing efficiencies.”
Rick Chamber, a Pfizer spokesman, explained in an article in the Lincoln Journal Star that Pfizer originally anticipated needing 415 employees in manufacturing for 2010, but the company now anticipates a 15 percent increase in workforce. This 15 percent expansion is necessary because work that was previously being outsourced is now coming to Lincoln. However, Chamber also said that production needs will be the determining factor in expanding the Lincoln staff and could occur at anytime.
“This is great news from a great company,” said Wendy Birdsall, President of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. “Pfizer is recognizing the value of its Nebraska facility and we appreciate that they are finding ways to grow during their transition. Pfizer is a truly valuable corporate citizen of this community.”
Pfizer has been re-evaluating its operational system since it purchased Wyeth Corp. The company is now entering the second phase of this re-evaluation process. As Pfizer moves through its various phases, the company reinforces that all of these changes are necessary to lower costs and increase manufacturing efficiency, which will ultimately improve the production of product demand.