Boronia property: GSK sells Mountain Highway site, works on Covid vaccine

After five decades, a company has sold its manufacturing site in Knox with hundreds of workers to be affected by the closure.

GSK Boronia manufacturing site sold.

A pharmaceutical manufacturer has sold up and is leaving its Boronia digs after more than five decades.

GlaxoSmithKline has announced it sold its life science building and land to property fund investment company Charter Hall for $106 million.

The pharmaceutical company, with a site in Knox for more than 50 years, announced it would be winding down and selling up its Mountain Highway operation in October last year.

It is understood the company will lease the site until it wraps up its operations at the end of 2022, and undertakes further decommissioning work by the end of August 2023.

The fate of the site’s workers remains unclear but the company’s general manager Christi Kelsey said employees would be supported in a respectful, responsible and transparent way.

“Approximately 300 of our colleagues are connected to the Boronia site – many of whom have been a part of the team for years or decades,” Ms Kelsey said.

“We are investing in skills development and career support, including outplacement support, to ensure a strong transition for our employees during this time of change.

She said as the company’s manufacturing operations wrapped up, it would look for opportunities to connect its employees with other local manufacturers.

“We know that our people are among the best in the business,” she said.

The Australian Manufacturers Workers Union has been contacted for comment.

Ms Kelsey said the sale marked a transformation for the business, and the company would delve into helping with Covid vaccines and treatment options.

She said the majority of products manufactured at its Boronia site were for export, and its closure would not impact medicine supply in Australia.

“We are setting our business up to deliver on the potential of our pipeline for Australian patients,” Ms Kelsey said.

“We are building our business with new launches in oncology and specialty planned in the next two years, alongside continued growth and launches in our already strong respiratory and vaccines portfolios.”

“Our future pipeline will require different manufacturing capabilities than what currently exists at the Boronia site, and this makes it the right time for Charter Hall to take the site into the next phase.”