Finnish speciality materials producer Premix (Rajamäki; www.premixgroup.com) was awarded a USD 79.9 mn (EUR 77.05 mn) contract from the US Department of Defense and US Department of Health and Human Services to establish a plastics compound manufacturing plant in the US, primarily for the production of an electrically conductive resin used in the manufacture of pipette tips for Covid-19 PCR diagnostic tests.

The plant in Gaston County, North Carolina, which will employ 35 people, is scheduled for completion by September 2025; its production is expected to supply more than 200 mn diagnostic tests monthly. The US agencies are providing the funding through the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which enables and supports US domestic industrial base expansion for critical medical resources.

Premix produces a portfolio of electrically conductive compounds and concentrates and static dissipative compounds that control static electricity. The company also offers materials incorporating its antimicrobial technology.

The family-run company from Rajamäki has been one of the pioneers in the field of electrically conductive polymers since the 1980s. Company founder Antti Kiikka is on Premix’s board of directors. His daughter, Hanna Ristola, is managing director, and her brother Tuomas Kiikka is head of New Business Development.