Thermo Fisher Scientific is continuing its recent layoff spree with a fresh round of cuts tied to a site it’s shuttering in Franklin, Massachusetts.
The Boston-area layoffs extend from Dec. 31, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027, according to a state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice updated last week. Although the filing lists 103 affected roles, a company spokesperson told Fierce Pharma that the actual number of layoffs will be capped at 80 staffers.
The site currently employs approximately 200 people. Following the job cuts, the company expects the remaining roughly 120 employees to relocate to other facilities within the state, according to the spokesperson.
The Franklin facility that is shutting down is one of two in the area and primarily manufactures environmental and process monitoring solutions, the spokesperson explained.
The company attributed the adjustment in “staffing levels and operation” to “current customer demands” as it “continuously evaluates its global operations to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness in meeting our customers’ needs,” Thermo Fisher said in an emailed statement.
“As part of this ongoing effort, operations currently performed at our site in Franklin, Massachusetts, will be phased out by the end of 2026, with much of the work transferring to other U.S. manufacturing locations. All impacted colleagues will receive job transition support to aid them in finding new opportunities,” the spokesperson said.
Thermo Fisher acknowledged that while the announcement “reflects a change in our chemical analysis manufacturing footprint, it does not reflect a strategic change in our commitment to U.S. manufacturing,” according to the spokesperson. “Decisions that impact colleagues are never taken lightly. However, these actions are designed to better help us serve our customers, strengthen our global competitive position, and provide long-term growth and success of our organization.”
Last year, Thermo Fisher slashed its Massachusetts headcount by 300 with layoffs at its viral vector manufacturing facilities in Cambridge and Plainville, citing “recent shifts in customer timelines and utilization needs.” Those layoffs came shortly after the company confirmed that it will close its viral vector site in Lexington, Massachusetts, and consolidate operations at its newer Plainville campus, a move tied to 160 jobs.
More recently, the company confirmed last month that it will shut down its lab equipment manufacturing facility in Asheville, North Carolina, cutting 421 workers as a result. Those layoffs will be effective Dec. 31, 2027, according to a state WARN notice.
While it edits its lineup of operating manufacturing sites, Thermo Fisher is busy otherwise expanding its U.S. footprint. Last summer, the company snagged a sterile fill-finish and packaging plant and took on the 200 workers there from Sanofi in Ridgefield, New Jersey, which was said to “meet the growing demand from pharma and biotech customers for U.S. manufacturing capacity.”
The buy was part of Thermo Fisher’s April 2025 pledge to spend an additional $2 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, the company said in a release at the time.
Going into 2026, the company is operating from a “position of strength,” CEO Marc Casper said in Thermo Fisher’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release. Over 2025, the company reported revenue gains of 4% to $44.56 billion, with 7% growth to $12.21 billion tied the fourth quarter.
The year saw $16.5 billion in spend deployed, including $13 billion committed to M&A specifically. Other than the Sanofi site and other deals on the biologics production side, Thermo Fisher splashed out $8.8 billion late last year to take on CRO Clario Holdings, an “outstanding strategic fit,” as Casper put it at the time.
Restructuring and other costs, meanwhile, added up to $362 million in 2025, the company reported, a figure slightly down from 2024’s $379 million.