A plaque marking the opening of the laboratories at Brucefield Industry Park was officially unveiled by Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Scottish Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy.
Worldclass facilities at the site will provide greater capacity for the Eurofins Biopharmaceutical Product Testing business in the UK, which will move from its current site in Newbridge, Edinburgh. The facility will also house new laboratories for Eurofins’ Water testing business.
The 5800m2 facility will become one of the largest dedicated testing sites of its kind in the UK and in the coming years, the Biopharmaceutical Product Testing UK business hopes to double employee numbers to over 100.
The investment follows Eurofins’ acquisition of Exova’s pharmaceutical, food and water testing business in the UK & Ireland in July 2016, and the subsequent purchase of ILS’s pharmaceutical business in October 2016.
Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing UK’s work is critical to drug development compliance testing prior to products being released to market, and the company is a crucial part of the supply chain in facilitating the release of products and ultimately benefiting patient health.
Alison Clayton, General Manager, said the Livingston site would be one of the largest of all the Eurofins UK sites, which form part of a network of laboratories that work together across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
She continued: “The large investment in the facility will position the company in the best place to attract new customers thanks to greatly increased capacity, and is all in line with Eurofins’ intent to attract future significant growth and development opportunities.”
Clayton explained that the long-term commitment to the site by Eurofins reinforces foundations set out in the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland, unveiled earlier this year and counter-signed by Mr Wheelhouse.
She added: “There is a large talent pool in the central belt of Scotland, so building a high quality facility, which has the flexibility to develop to meet changing testing needs and the growing demands of the industry, is a great message not just for retaining competence in this country, but also attracting new talent.”
Eurofins water microbiology and water chemistry laboratories across the UK provide analysis to assess the safety of water in cooling towers, hot and cold water systems, closed systems and recreational waters such as swimming pools and spas.
Phil Coles, Managing Director at Eurofins Food and Water Testing UK and Ireland, said the new site offered an excellent location on which to build the Water testing business.
Coles added: “We have built and fitted out the labs in Livingston with significant room for expansion and as a result increased capacity by 50%.
“The facility has been purposely chosen to lie between the two biggest cities in Scotland, and to be within touching distance of potential offshore opportunities.
“The Livingston labs will be a key hub to enhance our presence in the north, harness potential across our national network and offer our clients a seamless and consistent service.”