State and local officials, as well as leadership from Eli Lilly and Company, gathered at the Grounds at Concord this morning for a groundbreaking ceremony.

As part of the company’s commitment to delivering innovative medicines to patients around the world, Lilly is investing over $1 billion to create a new state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Concord, North Carolina. The new facility will utilize the latest technology to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity in parenteral (injectable) medications, device assembly and packaging operations. It will be built using the latest high-tech equipment, advanced, highly integrated and automated manufacturing systems, with a focus on minimizing our environmental impact.

Officials announced the project, which will create nearly 600 jobs, in January.

>> Click here to read the original project announcement.

>> View more photos from the groundbreaking ceremony on Facebook.

Photos by LJ Weslowski, Light Capture Photography.