Manufacturing companies Jubilant HollisterStier LLC and Collins Aerospace have expansion projects underway in Spokane County with a total construction value approaching a half-billion dollars.

In Spokane’s Bemiss neighborhood, pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging company Jubilant HollisterStier is continuing work on the second phase of its $285 million expansion project that is expected to create about 450 new jobs at the Spokane plant, located at 3525 N. Regal.

The second phase is a $193 million fourth-line expansion project, which broke ground in February 2024. The project is expected to be completed by year-end, says Ian Fuller, vice president of operations for Jubilant.

The sterile finish manufacturing line will be put to use immediately following the project's completion, he says.

Lydig Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley, is the contractor, and the California office of IPS-Integrated Project Services LLC is providing design and engineering services.

Last year, Jubilant completed the first phase of the expansion project: A $92 million, 50,000-square-foot third-line expansion.

“To bring our fourth line at our Spokane facility to life, we’re currently installing equipment and fitting out the interior,” Fuller says. 

The fourth line will add 160,000 square feet to the facility and feature a flexible manufacturing platform able to produce several types of vaccines.

Fuller adds that the fourth line will add state-of-the-art features, including additional loading docks, ultracold storage and temperature-controlled storage, three compounding suites, and high-speed packaging. 

When the third and fourth lines are complete, the company's annual production capacity will exceed 60 million vials, which could serve over 300 million patients around the world, he says.

The expansion also will include a new employee cafeteria and expanded offices, he says.

“Line four will add another round of hiring and bring the total number of employees to well over 1,000 here in Spokane,” Fuller says.

About 14 miles southwest on the West Plains, Collins Aerospace broke ground on a $200 million expansion project in August.

Located at 11135 W. Westbow Lane, Collins Aerospace is adding 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space, growing the company's site by over 50% over a multiyear period.

The design-build team is led by Lydig Construction and JR Miller & Associates Inc., of California.

According to a press release, the expansion includes up to three new buildings and additional furnaces and will support increased production capacity to meet the growing demand for carbon brakes from commercial and military customers.

Nichol Savko, Spokane-based director of operations for Collins Aerospace, says the parking lot configuration will be completed this spring, and the company remains on track to complete the entire expansion project by 2028.

According to the Journal’s list of Spokane-area manufacturers, Collins Aerospace employs 240 workers at its West Plains facility.

—Karina Elias