Almac Secures Room to Grow

Northern Ireland

Almac has secured planning permission for major expansion plans that could potentially see the company create over 500 jobs during the next five years. The global company which provides integrated research, development and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies internationally, has experienced a substantial rate of growth at its Craigavon headquarters. Anticipating future growth requirements, Almac has acquired an adjacent 5.4 acre site and will shortly embark on the first phase of development there.

In 2008 staff numbers in the UK rose by 15% to 1,426 and in the US by 10% to 762. The company also announced the creation of 128 new graduate and research positions in the first two months of 2009.

The initial phase of the planned further development will see Almac construct a large three-story office unit to accommodate over 220 existing staff and expected recruits. For the second phase of expansion the company obtained outline planning permission for a new research facility as well as a new distribution unit to expand existing capacity.

The plans are expected to lead to additional posts across the Group comprising a mix of administrative and support staff as well as a significant proportion of graduate positions.

As well as the continued construction of their new $112 million North American Headquarters, over the past eighteen months Almac have invested around £10m at the Craigavon site in a new laboratory block and a specialist cold storage facility for clinical trial materials. When completed the new facilities are expected to represent another capital investment on a similar scale.