Thermo Fisher again trims workforce at Massachusetts viral vector sites

Thermo Fisher Scientific is set to lay off 300 workers at two facilities in Massachusetts, marking another round of layoffs as the company restructures its viral vector production network. The cuts at its Cambridge and Plainville sites, effective March 30, were recently disclosed in a Massachusetts Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) last week.

The latest headcount reduction follows an earlier round of dismissals at the two sites as well as the closure of its Lexington facility in the same state, all of which resulted in about 160 job losses. Those cuts, disclosed in a WARN notice late last year, are slated to take effect over a period running from January 2025 to November 2026.

"In light of recent shifts in customer timelines and utilisation needs, we are making strategic business adjustments," a spokesperson said in an email Monday confirming the cuts to FirstWord, adding Thermo Fisher "continuously evaluates opportunities to enhance our operational efficiency and better serve our customers."

The spokesperson also said the company "[remains] committed to supporting our customers' continued innovation and advancement of medicine to improve patient care worldwide through our viral vector services network," including the Plainville site. That facility, a 380,000-square-foot site that opened in 2022 with advanced bioproduction capabilities, was initially expected to add approximately 300 jobs to support viral vector development and manufacturing for cell and gene therapies.

The layoffs come despite the company last week reporting revenue of $11.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, up 5% year-over-year. Additionally, while full-year revenues came in flat at $42.9 billion, Thermo Fisher is expecting a brighter 2025, with projected revenue between $43.5 billion and $44 billion, which assumes 3% to 4% organic growth, CEO Marc Casper said during the company's earnings call.

In 2023, Thermo Fisher said it would close its Princeton, New Jersey site later that year, effectively laying off 113 employees.