B. Braun Medical is investing $20 million to expand and modernize its medical-device manufacturing plant in Hanover Township, a project that will create at least 200 full-time jobs over three years and deepen a Lehigh Valley presence the German company has maintained for more than four decades.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the investment on Sept. 18, 2025, pointing to the region's expanding life-sciences base. “Pennsylvania is a national leader in the biotech and life sciences industry,” Shapiro said.
What's Being Built
B. Braun will expand and modernize production equipment at its 710,000-square-foot facility at 901 Marcon Boulevard in Hanover Township, near Allentown. The upgrades target the company's IV therapy, pharmacy admixture and compounding operations, product lines central to everyday hospital care. The plant already manufactures more than 2,400 medical devices and related products.
Jobs and a New Training Center
The project is expected to create at least 200 new full-time jobs over the next three years while retaining 1,704 existing positions. To support the growth and build a pipeline of skilled workers, B. Braun is launching a new workforce training center at its Allentown site to centralize training and skills development for new and current employees alike.
Who B. Braun Is
Founded in 1839 and still owned by the Braun family, B. Braun is one of the world's largest medical and pharmaceutical device companies, with more than 64,000 employees in some 64 countries and headquarters in Melsungen, Germany. It makes more than 5,000 healthcare products, the vast majority in-house, and is a global leader in infusion therapy and pain management, with additional lines in nutrition, pharmacy admixture and dialysis.
Its American arm has been rooted in the Lehigh Valley since 1979, when B. Braun established its U.S. headquarters in Bethlehem; the Hanover Township manufacturing operation followed in 1985. Today the company employs roughly 9,500 people across more than 30 North American locations, making it one of the region's most established major employers.
Why IV Production Matters Now
The expansion comes at a moment when domestic production of IV fluids has taken on national urgency. In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene flooded a Baxter International plant in North Carolina that produced roughly 60% of the nation's IV fluid, triggering a shortage that left the overwhelming majority of U.S. health care providers scrambling and forced some hospitals to postpone surgeries and conserve fluids. As Baxter worked to recover, B. Braun, one of the country's largest makers of IV solutions, ramped up production to help fill the gap. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared the saline shortage over in August 2025, but the episode laid bare how thin the domestic supply of a basic hospital staple had become, and why added IV and infusion capacity in the Lehigh Valley carries weight well beyond the local economy.
State Support
The Commonwealth is backing the project with $1.5 million in support: a $1 million Pennsylvania First grant and a $500,000 WEDnetPA grant earmarked for worker training.
Why It Matters in the Lehigh Valley
B. Braun's reinvestment strengthens a fast-growing Lehigh Valley life-sciences and medical-manufacturing cluster that also includes Eli Lilly's planned $3.5 billion pharmaceutical campus in Upper Macungie. Just as important, it signals that an anchor employer with deep local roots intends to keep growing in the Valley, adding skilled manufacturing jobs and shoring up domestic capacity for medical supplies the entire country relies on.
B. Braun's Lehigh Valley Expansion at a Glance
Investment: $20 million by B. Braun Medical
Jobs: 200+ new full-time over three years; 1,704 retained
Where: 710,000 sq ft plant, 901 Marcon Blvd, Hanover Township (U.S. HQ in Bethlehem since 1979)
What: Modernized IV therapy, pharmacy admixture and compounding lines, plus a new workforce training center
Company: German, founded 1839, family-owned; 64,000+ employees in ~64 countries
State support: $1M Pennsylvania First grant + $500K WEDnetPA training grant
Announced: Sept. 18, 2025, by Gov. Josh Shapiro; B. Braun has been in the Valley 45+ years
