--- title: 'Manufacturing Daily Summary: What Happened on October 29, 2026' headline: Manufacturing cuts affect 4,062 biopharma workers description: BioNTech accounts for nearly half the tally, while Pfizer and Merck have pledged billions for US research and manufacturing. url: https://thebench.bio/news/manufacturing/2026-10-29 topic: manufacturing date: '2026-10-29' covers: - '2026-10-29' date_published: '2026-10-29T12:04:10Z' date_modified: '2026-10-29T12:04:10Z' tags: - Manufacturing sources: 1 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Manufacturing Daily Summary: What Happened on October 29, 2026 **Manufacturing cuts affect 4,062 biopharma workers** BioNTech accounts for nearly half the tally, while Pfizer and Merck have pledged billions for US research and manufacturing. ## Today in brief BioSpace counted 4,062 employees affected by manufacturing-site cuts at ten biopharma companies through October 28. [1] BioNTech’s planned site exits account for 1,860 positions in the tally. Pfizer and Merck have also cut manufacturing jobs. [1] The job cuts coincide with large investment commitments. Pfizer pledged $70 billion for US research, development and capital projects, while Merck pledged more than $70 billion for US manufacturing and research and development. [1] ## BioNTech site exits drive nearly half of the manufacturing-cut tally BioSpace counted 4,062 employees affected by completed or projected manufacturing-site cuts at ten biopharma companies through October 28. [1] BioNTech is projected to account for 1,860 positions through planned site exits, including facilities in Germany and Singapore and sites acquired with CureVac. [1] BioNTech plans to close its Idar-Oberstein and Marburg facilities by the end of 2027 and its Singapore site in the first quarter of 2027. [1] Pfizer’s projected cuts include about 150 employees at its Portage, Michigan, site. The company linked the cuts to lower expected demand for some products made there. [1] Merck cut 147 jobs at its Durham, North Carolina, vaccine plant, effective May 1. [1] BioSpace’s count excludes contract manufacturers, contract research organizations, tools and services companies, and medical-device firms. [1] Five of the ten companies in the tally had announced manufacturing investments of at least $1 billion in the prior three years. [1] Industry consultant Caitlin Prendes said companies can reduce older facilities while investing in new sites, where hiring may come later. [1] Eric Langer said manufacturing layoffs could continue in 2027 as companies focus more on productivity and costs. [1] ## The day in numbers - **4,062**: Employees affected by completed or projected manufacturing-site cuts at ten biopharma companies through October 28 [1] - **1,860**: Positions BioNTech is projected to affect through planned site exits [1] ## Sources 1. [Biopharma cuts at manufacturing plants expected to affect 4,000+](), BioSpace, 2026-10-29 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: