Lilly Clinton Laboratories in Vermillion County solid for now, company says

brian.boyce@tribstar.com

Clinton - As discussions darken skies above a Tippecanoe County Eli Lilly plant, the future seems clear for the facility in Clinton, the company said Thursday.

"I can tell you in no uncertain terms that Clinton was in none of the discussions [Wednesday]," spokeswoman Angela Sekston said.

News that the company might sell or close the facility near Lafayette sent some nervous vibes through the Wabash Valley, as Vermillion County Economic Development Council Director Ed Cole confirmed the significance of Clinton Laboratories to this area.

"They're just vital," he said, noting that Clinton Laboratories employs between 525 and 550 workers, making it second in the county only to the Newport Chemical Depot's 1,000 in terms of size. "Those are high-paying jobs with excellent benefits," he said, adding that Lilly's investment into the community historically has been tremendous.

Sekston said the differences between the Clinton and Lafayette plants are significant, noting that Clinton Laboratories almost exclusively produces products for the company's Elanco Division, which creates medicines for animals.

"It's a different site mission," she said, noting that human medications have not been produced in Clinton since 2004.

Animal health products made in Clinton are bought in about 70 different countries, she said.

Tippecanoe Laboratories does a mix of products, some of which are being replaced with newer biotechnologies.

The Tippecanoe Laboratories plant has cut its work force from 1,500 in the early 1990s to about 780 today, according to a previous report.

"We do realize this is an uncertain time for employees," Sekston said. "That was on the top of our mind yesterday," she said of a Wednesday meeting with employees and community leaders potentially affected by the future of the Tippecanoe Laboratories. Tippecanoe Laboratories has pumped out medicine for more than 50 years.