The U.S. subsidiary of British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser Group is planning a $145.6 million factory that could bring 289 jobs to Wilson, state officials said. It's the latest company to bring drugmaking production to the counties outside the Triangle's core.

RB Health Manufacturing is expected to make Mucinex brand cold medicine at the factory, which is expected to be built by the end of 2028, state and county officials said. The company is expected to hire the workers by the end of 2029. The jobs would pay an average of about $80,200 — about 52% above the Wilson County average.

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The state Department of Commerce’s Economic Investment Committee, which approves state incentives for expanding companies, approved an incentives package worth up to $6.2 million during a regular meeting on Tuesday. Economic developers in Wilson were also considering an economic incentives package worth up to $4.2 million.

Reckitt Benckiser, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is worth about $39 billion, is known for health, hygiene and nutrition products. The company’s health portfolio makes over-the-counter consumer products such as Mucinex and Clearasil. The hygiene unit makes disinfectant sprays such as Lysol, as well as air fresheners, laundry products, dishwashing detergents and household cleaners. The company’s nutrition portfolio makes infant and child nutrition products.

The Wilson plant would allow the company to expand production of Mucinex, enabling the company to more quickly respond to demand in the U.S. market during cold season. The company has another plant in Salt Lake City, where it makes vitamins.

“With its prominence as a life science innovation hub, North Carolina is an ideal place for Reckitt to establish its U.S. regional manufacturing center,” Kris Licht, Reckitt’s chief executive, said in a statement. “This strategic, onshoring investment will build resiliency and agility in our supply chain and further drives our mission to create a healthier world by increasing access to important medicines.”

The state incentives package includes a jobs development grant worth up to $4.6 million, which would be paid out over 12 years if the company meets hiring targets.

The incentives package also includes community college training worth $578,000 support, services from Division of Workforce Solutions valued at $559,000, and support through the Rural Economic Development Division valued at $500,000, commerce officials said.

RB considered sites in Texas, Maryland, and Utah before settling on North Carolina. It considered real estate and labor pool availability as well as incentives in making its choice.

The project is expected to increase North Carolina’s gross domestic product by $1.9 billion through the life of the grant.

"North Carolina continues to attract the world’s most well-known life science companies that are working to keep people healthy,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. “Communities like Wilson and all across our state provide skilled biotech workers through our training systems that are important to companies like Reckitt.”

Biopharma boom

It’s the latest in a string of major jobs announcements for what’s known as the Biopharma Crescent, a five-county region in Eastern North Carolina that is home to a large cluster of biotech manufacturers. The region includes Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Pitt and Wilson counties. Among the latest deals in the area:

  • Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said in May it would launch a $1.5 billion expansion in Johnston County to meet demand for its diabetes and weight-loss treatments. The project could bring roughly 1,000 new jobs to the region.
    • Biopharma device manufacturer Schott Pharma USA Inc. said in March it plans to create about 400 jobs by 2030 as part of a $371 million investment in Wilson County. The company plans to build a factory to make prefillable polymer syringes for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
      • Veterinary medical device firm Idexx Laboratories said in July it would build a $147 million plant and hire 275 people in Wilson County.
        • Japanese medical device maker Nipro Corp. said in July it would announce a roughly $400-million expansion expected to bring more than 230 jobs to Pitt County.

          Biopharma companies have been attracted to the region because of the relatively lower cost of land, access to international flights, a growing workforce, access to workforce training and proximity to a cluster of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in and around Research Triangle Park.