The maker of Mucinex will invest about $145.6 million and create 289 jobs to start producing the over-the-counter cold medicine in Wilson, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Berkshire, England-based Reckitt, is a big health, hygiene and nutrition cmopany that operates in about 60 countries with more than 40,000 employees. Some of its brands include Airborne, Air Wick, Finish, Lysol and Clearsil.
The jobs in Wilson will average $80,182, which is higher than the current average wage in Wilson County of $52,619.
Manufacturing Mucinex in Wilson will enable the company to respond faster to customers during cold and flu seasons, officials said. It may add its products Biofreeze and K-Y brands in Wilson, which would result in further investment and job creation, they added.
State incentives totaling $6.2 million, and local incentives from the city and county of Wilson, totaling $4.2 million, were used in recruiting Reckitt to Wilson, according to the state. Reckitt also considered Dallas, Texas, Easton, Maryland; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Those state and local incentives will be paid out over a 12-year period based on Reckitt hitting its investment and job pledges.
The more than 200-year-old company has to make its $145.6 million capital investment by Dec. 31, 2028, and the 289 jobs will come over a five-year period ending in 2029, according to the state.
The project’s projected return on investment of public dollars is 317%, meaning for every dollar of potential cost, the state receives $4.17 in state revenue, according to the state Department of Commerce.
Reckitt, the trade name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies, is listed on the London Stock Exchange with a market cap of about $39 billion and annual turnover of about $19 billion. About 30 million Reckitt products are purchased daily.
Reckitt’s U.S. footprint includes its American headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, with factories in Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, New Jersey and Utah, plus distribution centers in other states. Subsidiary RB Health Manufacturing has a Salt Lake City factory that makes Airborne, Move Free and Neuriva vitamin products.
“With its prominence as a life science innovation hub, North Carolina is an ideal place for Reckitt to establish its U.S. regional manufacturing center,” said Kris Licht, CEO of Reckitt.
It’s the second U.K. company to recently announce an expansion in North Carolina. Earlier this month, Veetee Foods said it would invest $35.7 million and create 200 jobs by 2030 at a plant in the Johnston County town of Selma. Based in Rochester, England, Veetee is best known for its rice products, but its Selma plant will be capable of cooking rice, pasta, noodles, spaghetti and a variety of other foods.
Veetee expects to pay an average wage of $58,387, which compares with the current average wage in Johnston County of $50,605.