3 minute read - 1st October 2024
Almac Group invests £11m and creates 100 new jobs
Almac Group, a contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company, has invested £11m and enabled the creation of over 100 new jobs as it expands its global analytical services capabilities.
Over the past 18 months, Almac Sciences and Almac Pharma Services have jointly made this investment to increase its existing analytical laboratories, technology and resource to meet ongoing global demand. Almac employs over 700 analysts working across five locations in Craigavon and Charnwood in the UK; Souderton in Pennsylvania; and Athlone and Dundalk in Ireland.
Construction of new laboratory space at the company’s global headquarters in Craigavon considerably increases overall capacity, while additional upgrades and development of existing labs across all sites mean Almac will increase its existing global analytical employee headcount by over 100 in the next 12 months.
With experience spanning 55 years, Almac supports drug substance and drug product analytics across all phases, from early phase pre-clinical and clinical development to commercial release.
Almac Group has completed an £11m investment to expand operations and is now set to create 100 new jobs / Picture: Almac Group
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Almac has added a significant number of specialised instrumentation and techniques across several service lines including chromatography, spectroscopy and biologics. Additional investment in physical sciences equipment has provided enhanced capability to support the company’s new spray drying offering from its Charnwood site.
A digitisation upgrade across all sites, including further investment in Almac’s existing laboratory information management system, reinforces the company’s ability to seamlessly share information across multiple teams, departments and facilities.
As part of its ongoing outreach programme, Almac has invested heavily in continuous training and development of its analytical experts. The teams also work closely with local academia to promote and develop a pipeline of talent by providing apprenticeship placements throughout the year.
Darren Thomas, VP of analytical operations at Almac Sciences, said: “We have experienced a significant increase in demand for our dedicated analytical solutions and recognise the importance of continually investing, not just in our systems and facilities, but also in our people. We are committed to offering a best-in-class service to our global client base and are delighted to continue at pace with significant investment across our UK, EU and US facilities in order to strengthen our competitive position in the marketplace.”
Trevor Clarke, VP of analytical operations at Almac Pharma Services, added: “We are positioned as the partner of choice with significant experience in a wide range of analytical services to meet the varying requirements of our clients’ unique development and commercial programmes. As we continue to expand our global analytical capabilities, we remain committed to delivering excellence. This significant investment in innovative technology, skilled talent, and state-of-the-art laboratories underscores our dedication to providing comprehensive analytical solutions for our clients worldwide.”
Almac says the announcement is part of the Group’s wider £400m investment to ensure it remains a global leader in the industry, giving clients, and ultimately patients across the world who benefit from these therapies, the best possible range of solutions.
