Landry/French Construction has been hired to manage construction of a $135 million wound-care manufacturing build at Brunswick Landing.
The Scarborough-based contractor will work with Portland-based SMRT Architects & Engineers, which is designing the new plant.
As reported earlier this week, Mölnlycke Health Care broke ground Sept. 23 on a 78,000-square-foot addition to its existing factory, which is 64,000 square feet.
Mölnlycke, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, manufactures a range of bandages and skincare dressings for hospitals and acute care facilities. In addition to the Brunswick location, it has a second Maine factory in Wiscasset. Its U.S. base is in Atlanta, but the company also has manufacturing sites around the world.
Brunswick operations
Mölnlycke has operated at Brunswick Landing since 2013, and employs 130 at that facility, in addition to 140 at its Wiscasset plant.
The expansion is expected to add 30 jobs in Brunswick and is projected to be operational by 2027.
“The expansion will further enhance our capacity to meet the growing demand in the U.S. market, strengthen supply chain resilience and support local economic development,” spokesman Jamie Smith told Mainebiz.
Groundbreaking
Company executives hosted a groundbreaking on Tuesday, Sept. 23, joined by Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
King praised the company as one of the largest employers in Brunswick Landing, and added that every manufacturing job created in Maine, adds 1.5 other jobs.
Wielding shovels at Tuesday’s event along with Mills and King was Kevin French, CEO and chairman at Landry/French Construction, and Brad Hodges, president of Portland-based SMRT Architects & Engineers.
Landry/French’s Brian Laybourne, who is the project executive for the expansion, told Mainebiz that plans call for solar and wind systems to reduce the company’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“It’s part of Mölnlycke’s core values, to be the least impactful they can be as they continue to expand. There’s a big push to get away from the use of fossil fuels.”
Zlatko Rihter, president and CEO of Mölnlycke, noted at the groundbreaking that manufacturing in the states aligns with the company’s mission of “localisation” — making products as close to the consumer as possible, to reduce its carbon impact and stabilize logistics issues.
Righter said the U.S. is the company’s largest market, accounting for more than 30% of overall sales.
Mölnlycke is the largest employer at Brunswick Landing, which was the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The industrial park is home to more than 130 companies.