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With the opening of its new high-tech vaccine manufacturing facility at Tullamarine, CSL Seqirus is turning the page.

The site near Melbourne Airport includes three buildings and will have a gross floor area of 28,400m2, larger than the playing surface of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. The facility has been electrified and incorporates on-site solar energy generation, heat and water recovery to preserve a healthier environment.

“This facility will build a platform for our next wave of innovation in vaccines and unique health challenges, setting a new standard of care,” said CSL Seqirus Managing Director Dave Ross, who will be on hand for the 2 December opening celebration.

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that seasonal flu infects 1 billion people annually, causing severe illness in 3-5 million and 290,000-650,000 respiratory deaths.

Here are five facts about the new site, built to protect public health:

1. It is the only manufacturing facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
2. Considered modern, efficient and highly scalable, cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing advances scalability, reduces reliance on large volumes of critical materials and enables rapid production of vaccines using state-of-the-art technology. That makes it well suited to pandemic preparedness. With year-round seasonal flu vaccine manufacturing, the Tullamarine facility will be ever ready to switch over to pandemic response.
3. It features a digitally connected manufacturing environment, deploying advanced analytics that will drive innovation and optimise manufacturing operations. This includes a fully automated and paperless manufacturing execution system that will support our highly skilled workforce to optimise production, conduct predictive maintenance, improve quality control and reduce downtime.
4. Tullamarine will support a supply chain worth $300 million with hundreds of experts on hand to ensure that essential vaccines and antivenoms reach the clinics and patients who need them.
5. It will be the only manufacturing site in the world capable of producing Australia’s 11 antivenoms for venomous creatures and the human Q-Fever vaccine.