Manufacturing is alive and well in SGV

Pasadena Star News
By: Cynthia Kurtz
Posted: 9/24/2014

Friday, October 3, 2014 is National Manufacturing Day. You might think that this isn't particularly important to California. There is a perception that manufacturing has left California and the San Gabriel Valley.

Off-shore production, strict environmental regulations, and automation have taken a toll on the number of manufacturing jobs. But these good paying positions are far from gone. The SGV can still boast of 58,900 jobs in manufacturing having added over 700 new jobs in 2013.

There are significant shifts in the types of manufacturers that choose to locate here. Based largely on our incredible research and educational institutions, Southern California and the SGV are enjoying a resurgence in aerospace and bio-science manufacturing.

A great example of these emerging new companies is Prolacta Bioscience. Founded in 1999, Prolacta screens, collects, tests, pasteurizes and fortifies lifesaving products for use in neonatal intensive care units. 

As demand increased the company outgrew its first home - a 10,000 square foot facility in Monrovia. In 2013 the company moved to a new $18 million 67,000 sq. foot pharmaceutical grade processing plant in the City of Industry.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 babies in the United States are born prematurely. These fragile infants - often weighing between 1 and 2 pounds - face a variety of risks with many related to feeding and getting enough nutrition.

Ample evidence exists to show that a mother's own milk reduces the risk of illness in her infant but mother's milk may not be available or may not contain enough calories for premature infants. Milk and concentrations made with cow or other animal milks can cause other complications.

The answer was to develop products that could be used when a mother had insufficient milk or when there was a need to boost the nutritional intake of human milk for premature babies.

Prolacta Bioscience has created specialty formulations specifically for the needs of premature infants. The City of Industry facility is the first large scale human milk processing facility in the world and Prolacta is the only company to offer products made with 100% human milk.

Healthcare experts have praised the company for its innovative products. Studies show that premature babies who are fed a 100% human milk diet have a better chance of survival and a better quality of life.

The company intends to grow here. Scott Elster, Prolacta's Chief Executive Officer said, "The opening of this (City of Industry) facility means that Prolacta can meet the nutritional needs of every extremely premature born infant in the country."

So make your plans for National Manufacturing Day. We definitely have something to celebrate.