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India American firm joins US supply shift
“This investment’s used for the city of Martinsburg. It takes a dilapidated brownfield that’s been sitting here for over 40 years… and it’s gonna be one of the biggest high tech facilities in the nation,” Knowles said.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 05, May 2026
- 11:11 EDT
- 20
Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles Maryland-based Human BioSciences (HBS) inaugurated the plant in Martinsburg in West Virginia on Thursday, April 2 / HBS
An Indian-American-led medical firm is positioning itself at the centre of US efforts to reduce reliance on China, opening a $150 million manufacturing facility in West Virginia.
Maryland-based Human BioSciences (HBS) inaugurated the plant in Martinsburg in West Virginia on Thursday, with company executives outlining plans to scale domestic production of wound care products and compete directly with Chinese suppliers on cost and volume.
The facility is expected to create more than 100 jobs initially, with projections rising to over 250 as operations expand. Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles said the project would revitalise a long-idle industrial site and strengthen the city’s economic base.
“This investment’s used for the city of Martinsburg. It takes a dilapidated brownfield that’s been sitting here for over 40 years… and it’s gonna be one of the biggest high tech facilities in the nation,” Knowles said.
Founded nearly four decades ago, HBS pioneered collagen-based wound care technology. The company says its products are used by hundreds of thousands of patients monthly and are capable of healing chronic wounds that otherwise lead to amputations.
“We produce collagen based wound care products… we’re able to heal more than 95% of any wound… and we’re able to prevent more than 80% of amputations,” said Dr Rohan K Jain, president of Human BioSciences.
The Martinsburg plant will anchor the company’s vertically integrated manufacturing model, bringing sterilisation, packaging and production under one roof to reduce costs.
“We do our own sterilization, we do our own packaging… right from raw material… to the end product production in-house. That cuts out a lot of cost,” said founder Dr Manoj Jain.
Company executives framed the expansion as part of a broader push to localise critical supply chains. Currently, they said, the United States depends heavily on China for basic medical supplies.
“More than 95% of all medical supplies that are used in the US are produced in China. We’re planning to onshore that from this facility,” Jain said, adding that the company aims to produce “45% of the American demand right here in Martinsburg.”
He stressed that matching China on price remains essential. “If you’re not able to compete with the Chinese… on price, on infrastructure, on quality… you’re not gonna make it in the market,” he said.
State officials highlighted the project’s economic impact. A representative of West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said the investment would bring “100 plus high quality jobs… in life sciences and advanced manufacturing” to the state.
The facility also reflects growing participation by Indian-American entrepreneurs in US manufacturing and supply chain realignment. Local officials said such investments could encourage more diaspora-led ventures in advanced industries.
HBS maintains operations in India and plans further expansion there. Jain said the company intends to “increase our… facility by 50% in India also,” signalling a dual approach aligned with both US reshoring and India’s manufacturing push.
The launch comes as Washington intensifies efforts to secure supply chains after disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic exposed heavy dependence on overseas manufacturing.
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