British fluid-device manufacturer to build out Devens facility

November 17, 2021 : Boston Business Journal, by Catherine Carlock

British medical device manufacturer Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group will break ground this week on a manufacturing facility in Devens, a 150,000-square-foot building that will bring 150 jobs to the area.

Construction on the building, specifically built for Watson-Marlow, is expected to be complete late next year, with the first products out of the facility due to be shipped in late 2022.

Watson-Marlow develops biomedical and medical devices for fluid management, such as pumps and tubes. The work on the Devens facility marks “an important milestone” in the UK-based company’s history, said Andrew Mines, managing director of Watson-Marlow, in a statement.

“This exciting development is bringing us closer to our customers whose purpose is to help the world around us, from advancing cell and gene therapies through to ensuring people have access to clean drinking water,” Mines said. “Together we will continue to develop market-leading fluid management solutions to engineer a more sustainable future.”

The Devens facility at 16 Bulge Road will include clean rooms, warehouse and office space across a 25.4-acre site. Quasi-public agency MassDevelopment recently sold the site to Scannell Properties, which hired ARCO National Construction to build the facility.

Colliers International brokers Jake Borden and Greg Klemmer led the site-selection process and lease negotiations for Watson-Marlow.

“Devens, with its rapidly growing life science and GMP manufacturing cluster, combines convenient Route 2 proximity with immediate access to major life science employers and talent that will be accretive to Watson-Marlow’s core business. We are excited to see the facility take shape in the coming year,” said Borden, a senior vice president with Colliers, in a statement.

Watson-Marlow has operations in 44 countries and employs more than 1,750 globally. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of multinational industrial engineering giant Spirax Sarco Engineering plc.