Marana, AZ (November 14, 2022) – Mayor Ed Honea joined Roche Tissue Diagnostics leaders and employees for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the expansion of manufacturing operations in Marana.

Click here for a link to b-roll and photography from the event.

When fully completed, the new Marana building will house instrument and service manufacturing, along with instrument labeling and operations support functions such as engineering, purchasing, planning and finance. Roche Tissue Diagnostics manufactures more than 250 cancer tests and associated instruments – used everyday by hospitals and diagnostic labs – from its Tucson-area operations, impacting the lives of more than 27 million patients around the world annually.

The new 60,000-square-foot Marana manufacturing building is powered 100% by local renewable electricity and features state-of-the-art manufacturing space, meeting rooms and a multi-purpose cafe breakroom. Approximately 140 employees will transfer from Roche’s Oro Valley campus headquarters to Marana, for a total of approximately 180 personnel based in Marana and more than 1,800 in the Tucson area. The new building is expected to be fully operational in early 2023.

Relocating instrument assembly to Marana will make the manufacturing process more efficient, reducing the need to transport parts to Oro Valley for assembly into products. It will also make room for the expansion of diagnostic assay production on the Oro Valley campus, allowing Roche Tissue Diagnostics to better serve a growing number of customers and patients globally. Every year across the globe, more than 14 million people develop cancer, a number that is expected to grow to more than 21 million by the year 2030.

Roche’s total investment in this project is approximately $43.5 million, which includes remodeling the Oro Valley manufacturing space beginning in 2023.

“Expanding our manufacturing facilities will enable us to provide customers – and ultimately patients – with reliable access to quality cancer diagnostics, no matter where they are in the world,” said Jill German, Head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics. “With this new building in Marana and remodeling in Oro Valley, we are continuing to invest in Southern Arizona’s bioscience industry while offering meaningful career opportunities to members of our local community.”

The Marana ribbon-cutting comes on the heels of the completion of two major construction projects on the Oro Valley campus. A new 45,000-square-foot Employee Forum, which includes state-of-the-art conference space, a full-service cafeteria with rotating local restaurants and a fitness and wellness center, opened in April. A 9,000-square-foot Central Utility Plant was also constructed to provide cooling to all buildings on the main campus.