North American Pharma-Biotech Industry Heats Up 1Q07 with $2.4 Billion in Capital/MRO Projects Starts

---

Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). It may be a frigid winter season, but the first quarter of 2007 continues to heat up for the North American Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry, at least in terms of capital investment. Over $2.4 billion of capital and MRO (maintenance) projects are scheduled to begin in the first three months of the year. A recent analysis of all active reported projects contained within Industrial Info’s Pharmaceutical Tracker has revealed that there are now 49 projects carrying an average total investment value (TIV) of $49 million. This is a whopping increase of over 100% compared to 2006, when 20 projects worth a cumulative TIV of $1.2 billion began construction in the first quarter.

Click on the image at right to view a chart showing the breakdown of Pharma-Biotech Industry project spending by market region

The Northeast region, which includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware (reference: Northeast Region Online Plant Directory) garnered the majority of project spending coming in with a TIV of $882 million spread over six projects. This is a sharp increase from 2006, when the region only began $11 million worth of projects. The 2007 figures translate to a whopping $147 million per project average. Although in fact, this year’s high project TIV was sparked by the proposed kick off of the massive $500 million first phase of the East River Science Park in New York, New York.

The Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee) has the most project activity for the quarter, with fourteen projects due to start, with a TIV of $397 million, or a respectable $28 million per project average. The largest ready to begin in the Southeast is a $75 million biomedical research center in Fort Lauderdale. Interestingly, in terms of TIV, the region held almost dead equal with last year’s figure of $390 million in project starts.

As discussed within the 2007 Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry Forecast, the remainder of the projects are scattered across North America. In the Gulf Coast, Houston is the site of construction for a $200 million collaborative research center. Further north, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the $25 million Siemens Research Institute is supposed to get underway.

View Plant Profile - 1067104 1063362 1069027 1002719
View Project Report - 14003015 5002774 1010763 54000216

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) provides marketing communication services ranging from industrial database solutions to market forecasting, custom analytics, and specialty promotions that support high-level image campaigns.