: Human primary cells (e.g. adult stem cells) as well as differentiated cells, including those of the immune system, have been found to be therapeutically useful and free of ethical concerns. Several products have received market authorization and numerous promising clinical trials are underway. We believe that such primary therapeutic cells will dominate the market for cell therapy applications for the foreseeable future. Consequently, production of such cellular products warrants attention and needs to be a fully controlled pharmaceutical process. Thus, where possible, such production should change from manufacture towards a truly scalable industrialized process for both allogeneic and autologous products. Here, we discuss manufacturing aspects of both autogeneic and allogeneic products, review the field, and provide historical context.