In the News

Contract for Covid-19 testing component will bring expansion, 300 jobs to Lenexa

Kansas City Business Journal | Brian Kaberline

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has secured a federal contract to help in the fight against Covid-19 that also will bring an expansion — and new jobs — to its Lenexa facility.

Thermo Fisher (NYSE: TMO), based in Waltham, Mass., announced Monday that it won a contract to provide viral transport media (VTM) for the collection of Covid-19 samples. VTM is a specialized substance that must be dispensed into sterile test tubes.

Because of demand for the product, Thermo Fisher said it will add a $40 million facility at its Lenexa site for production of viral transport media. The company said it plans to complete the addition in the third quarter. The expansion should bring 300 new full-time jobs, according to a release.

The company presently has more than 600 area employees, according to its website. Its Lenexa facility is at 12076 Santa Fe Trail Drive, southwest of 87th Street Expressway and Quivira Road.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) lauded the news in a release, calling it a proud moment for Kansas and a necessary step for safely reopening the U.S. economy. The release stated that Thermo Fisher already has increased production of VTM from 50,000 tubes a week to more than 1 million.

"Our production ramp-up in Lenexa has been impressive and our employees deserve recognition for their ingenuity and dedication to making this happen," Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper said in a release. "We have a proven blueprint for high-quality VTM production in Lenexa and look forward to bringing significant new capacity on line as quickly as possible to continue the necessary testing ramp-up in the U.S."