COLUMBUS, Neb., Oct. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, was joined today by Gov. Pete Ricketts and other state and local leaders to break ground on a $60 million upgrade of its Columbus-East facility.

The 69,000 sq. ft. expansion will transform the Columbus-East facility into the flagship plastic injection molding manufacturing facility for BD, and it will become one of the largest and most sophisticated plastic molding plants in the world. The project is expected to be completed by 2021.

"This is an exciting day for growing the community of Columbus and the State of Nebraska," said Governor Ricketts. "BD's $60 million expansion at their Columbus-East facility is another example of how the industry's faith in our state can help create new opportunities in our communities. With facilities in Columbus, Holdrege, and Broken Bow, BD has been a great partner in growing the Good Life and we appreciate their ongoing investment in Nebraska."

In addition to Gov. Ricketts, Columbus Mayor Jim Bulkley and Councilman John Lohr also offered words of support for the expansion. Duane Ostdiek, plant manager for the BD Columbus-West facility highlighted the 50(th) anniversary of cannula (metal part of a needle used in a variety of health care applications) manufacturing at that facility. Bill Campbell, plant manager of the BD Columbus-East facility also was present to commemorate the 15(th) anniversary of the BD Columbus-East plant.

"BD is one of the largest users of plastic injection molded products in the world, with hundreds of billions of units produced internally each year," said James Borzi, executive vice president and chief supply chain officer of BD. "The new facility will centralize a majority of BD's North American plastic molding production and will support multiple business units in the U.S. and around the world."

Laurie Reagan, the plant manager for the new plastic molding facility, also spoke at the event and highlighted BD's plans to invest $7 million to retain and retrain its associates for the different skill sets needed for plastic molding manufacturing or to facilitate their transfer to its other manufacturing facility in Columbus or other sites across the BD network. BD is partnering with Central Community College to create customized curriculum for its retraining needs.

In addition to Columbus, BD also has operations in Holdrege and Broken Bow, Neb. and employs approximately 2,500 people across the state. In September 2016, BD announced a $100 million investment in its Holdrege facility to expand its insulin syringe manufacturing operations.

About BD
BD is a global medical technology company that is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. BD leads in patient and health care worker safety and the technologies that enable medical research and clinical laboratories. The company provides innovative solutions that help advance medical research and genomics, enhance the diagnosis of infectious disease and cancer, improve medication management, promote infection prevention, equip surgical and interventional procedures, and support the management of diabetes. The company partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. BD has nearly 50,000 associates across 50 countries who work in close collaboration with customers and partners to help enhance outcomes, lower health care delivery costs, increase efficiencies, improve health care safety and expand access to health. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com.

    Contacts:

    Troy Kirkpatrick        Monique N. Dolecki

    BD Public Relations     BD Investor Relations

    858.617.2361            201.847.5378

    troy.kirkpatrick@bd.com monique_dolecki@bd.com

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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)