Eli Lilly invests $3B in Netherlands facility to strengthen global supply chain

Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $3 billion investment to build a new manufacturing facility in Katwijk, Netherlands, within the Leiden Bio Science Park. The expansion underscores the company’s drive to reinforce global supply chain resilience and scale up production of advanced oral medicines across cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology and immunology.

The facility will feature next-generation manufacturing systems, including dock-to-dock automation, process analytical technology, spray-dried dispersion and paperless operations. These innovations are designed to enhance operational efficiency, reduce lead times and support seamless global distribution of high-demand therapies. One of its focal points will be the production of orforglipron, Eli Lilly’s promising oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, which the company expects to submit to regulators for obesity treatment approval by the end of this year.

The project will create 500 permanent manufacturing positions and 1,500 construction jobs, contributing to regional economic growth and advancing Europe’s pharmaceutical infrastructure. Construction is set to begin next year, pending regulatory and local approvals.

According to CEO David A. Ricks, the expansion complements Eli Lilly’s ongoing investments in the United States and represents its third major European manufacturing project since 2020, following developments in Ireland and Germany. The company currently operates facilities across France, Ireland, Italy and Spain and continues to grow globally, with new sites planned in Puerto Rico, Texas and Virginia.

For logistics and transport sectors, this development represents a significant increase in future demand for high-performance supply chain solutions, particularly for temperature-sensitive and high-value pharmaceuticals. With Europe positioned as a critical production hub, logistics operators will need to align with new efficiency, compliance and sustainability standards to meet Eli Lilly’s growing output and global distribution ambitions.

Discover how this expansion could reshape pharmaceutical logistics and European supply networks in the full article.