Lilly Concord Recognized as a 2026 ISPE Facility of the Year Winner

Award Recognition for Execution Excellence

Eli Lilly and Company’s Lilly Concord manufacturing campus has been recognized as a 2026 ISPE Facility of the Year Award Category Winner for Operations – Project Execution! The award recognizes projects that demonstrate excellence in delivering complex, regulated pharmaceutical facilities through strong execution, coordination, and operational readiness.

A High‑Velocity Manufacturing Campus

Located in Concord, North Carolina, the Lilly Concord project stands out for the pace and precision with which it was delivered. The campus progressed from groundbreaking to FDA approval in approximately 30 months, well below typical industry timelines for facilities of this scale and complexity. Parallelized delivery strategies, disciplined governance, and close alignment across engineering, construction, automation, and operations teams enabled accelerated progress while maintaining quality and compliance expectations.

Execution strategies such as Cold Dark Shell sequencing, modular construction, replication of proven design and automation platforms, and the use of digital tools helped reduce risk, compress schedules, and support a smoother transition into startup and qualification. Together, these approaches established a repeatable model for high‑velocity pharmaceutical project execution.

HIPP Design + Consulting’s Role

HIPP Design + Consulting supported the Lilly Concord project as the Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, contributing to the delivery of complex building systems required for advanced parenteral manufacturing operations. Our work focused on providing reliable, scalable, and compliant mechanical and electrical infrastructure aligned with the project’s operational needs and execution strategy, in close collaboration with the broader project team.

Learn More

The ISPE Facility of the Year Awards recognize projects that advance how pharmaceutical facilities are designed, delivered, and operated. The Lilly Concord campus was selected in the Operations – Project Execution category for demonstrating execution excellence at scale.

Read more about the site's 2026 ISPE FOYA recognition!

Project Team

• Manufacturer / Owner: Eli Lilly and Company

• Engineer / Architect: Hanbury

• Construction Manager: BE&K Building Group

• HVAC Subcontractor: McCorvey Sheet Metal

• Mechanical Contractor: Kirlin Way

• Electrical Contractor: Code Electric, Inc.

• Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: HIPP Design & Consulting, Inc.