3 minute read - 23rd October 2023
Almac Group to create 550 jobs with £80m investment
Almac Group is to make an £80m investment to build new extensive manufacturing, production and diagnostic laboratory facilities at its global headquarters in Craigavon, Northern Ireland.
Construction of these two facilities will create over 550 jobs, spanning a range of lab and non-lab-based roles, with recruitment already underway for some positions. This is part of the company’s international recruitment drive which is expected to create 1,000 jobs in Northern Ireland over three years.
The expansion, which forms part of the global investment programme announced in 2022, will significantly grow operations for two of the Group’s business units, Almac Pharma Services and Almac Diagnostic Services.
Almac Group is to invest £80m and create 550 new jobs at its headquarters in Craigavon / Picture: Almac Group
Almac Pharma Services supports developing and commercialising new treatment options for a wide range of therapy areas including oncology and immunology. Almac Diagnostic Services offers a range of biomarker discovery, development and commercialisation solutions to Biopharma partners globally.
The first of these two major projects is a 100,000 sq ft state-of-the-art multi-product Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility for Almac Pharma Services. The Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing will house a custom designed dispensary area, multiple production suites, process equipment wash facilities and a lineside warehouse for ambient, refrigerated and frozen storage. The new facility will primarily support solid oral dose products, complementing Almac’s existing capabilities.
The facility, which will be operational from Q3 2024, will expand Almac Pharma Services’ existing manufacturing capabilities and will offer additional capacity for further strategic production contracts. The high-specification production suites have been designed with flexibility and a wide range of uses in mind which offers opportunities for clients to install bespoke technology specific to their individual needs.
The second project is a 40,000 sq ft four-storey diagnostic development and manufacturing centre for Almac Diagnostic Services, which will be completed by Q1 2024. The new facility will enable Almac Diagnostic Services to expand its assay development offering and to manufacture and distribute Companion Diagnostic (CDx) kits on a commercial scale to support growing client demand.
Almac Group chief executive, Alan Armstong / Picture: Almac Group
Alan Armstrong, chief executive of Almac Group, said: “Almac is committed to re-investing all our profit back into the business. This £80 million expansion and the creation of 550 new, highly skilled jobs in Northern Ireland will ensure that we remain the global leaders in our industry, giving our clients and ultimately patients across the world who benefit from these therapeutics, the best possible offering from Almac.”
Jeremy Fitch from Invest Northern Ireland, added: “Almac’s commitment to innovation and excellence has positioned it as a cornerstone of our region’s Life & Health Sciences success story and supported it to build a world-renowned reputation for ground-breaking work in the global pharmaceutical industry. We are delighted to support this investment which is creating hundreds of employment opportunities in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and will bolster Northern Ireland’s reputation as a hub for pharma and diagnostic development. We commend Almac’s dedication and vision and we look forward to witnessing the positive impact this investment will have on Northern Ireland’s economy and the advancement of life changing medicines.”