
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) plans to shutter its East Providence, R.I. operations, according to the Providence Journal.
The disease diagnostics-focused facility employs 68 people, and according to a company spokesperson, two or three will be asked to relocate leaving at least 65 without jobs, the newspaper reported.
The Waltham, Mass.-based lab instruments giant plans to merge the operations of its Ocean State plant with those of larger facilities in Texas, Virginia and possibly other states.
The company notified the affected employees August 11, according to the ProJo.
The plant will remain open until June 2011 and no one will lose their jobs until then, according to the paper.
Thermo Fisher has been on a buying spree as of late, announcing in May the acquisition of Burlington, Ont.-based lab supplies provider Fermentas International Inc. for $260 million in cash. The company also beefed up its PCR offering with Finnish polymerase chain reaction equipment maker Finnzyme in February and added to its proteomics portfolio with Odense, Denmark-based Proxeon in April.