Reckitt announces USD 600M multi-year expansion in US operations

USA – Consumer health and hygiene company Reckitt is investing USD 600 million in a multi-year expansion of its U.S. operations, including a new research and development center and a major manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

The company, whose brands include Lysol and Mucinex, will direct the investment toward strengthening its domestic manufacturing capacity and expanding its research capabilities.

The projects form part of Reckitt’s broader effort to increase production and bring research activities closer to its U.S. commercial operations.

Reckitt first announced plans for the manufacturing expansion in 2024, when it committed USD 200 million to establish a regional manufacturing center in Wilson, North Carolina.

The facility will produce Mucinex and other over-the-counter medicines and is expected to begin operations in the first half of 2027.

The company has since doubled its planned investment in the site to USD 400 million.

Once completed, the facility will become Reckitt’s largest manufacturing site in the United States, increasing its capacity to supply Mucinex products while allowing the company to adjust production as consumer demand changes.

The Wilson project is one of seven manufacturing sites that Reckitt operates in the United States.

The expanded facility will also strengthen the company’s domestic supply chain for Mucinex and add production capacity to its consumer health portfolio.

As construction progresses in North Carolina, Reckitt is preparing to begin work on another major project in New Jersey.

The company plans to establish an innovation center at its new U.S. headquarters, describing it as a flagship hub for research into germ protection.

The center will bring together research capabilities covering disinfection, microbiology, surface care, laundry care and personal care.

Reckitt expects the facility to place its R&D teams alongside its commercial operations, creating closer links between research, product development and market needs.

The company said the new center will support work across its consumer health and hygiene portfolio and provide a base for developing new products and technologies.

Angela Naef, Ph.D., Reckitt’s chief R&D officer, said the investment would change how the company develops products by bringing scientific research, consumer insights and commercial execution closer together.

She said the approach would help Reckitt move more quickly from discovery to product development while maintaining a focus on science-based solutions for changing consumer needs.

The company’s U.S. investment will therefore cover both manufacturing and research, with the North Carolina facility scheduled to open in 2027 and the New Jersey innovation center forming part of the company’s wider expansion of its U.S. operations.

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