Enterprise, trade and investment minister Arlene Foster has announced that the Almac Group is investing over £54 million and creating 348 high quality jobs over the next 5 years.
The Almac group operates in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors providing services including drug discovery, diagnostics, research and development, manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients, formulation development and clinical trials.
It employs more than 2100 staff at its headquarters in Craigavon, with an additional 1380 staff located in facilities throughout the rest of the UK, US and Asia. The investment, supported by Invest Northern Ireland, relates to two of the group’s operating business units: pharma services and clinical services.
Announcing the investment, Arlene Foster said: “Almac is one of Northern Ireland’s most successful indigenous companies and a globally respected brand. This significant investment will enable Almac to expand the range of services it can offer, allowing it to respond to key trends within the pharmaceutical industry and enhance its market-leading position.”
As well as recruiting 141 new staff over the next 5 years, Almac will invest in new technologies and equipment to take advantage of the growing demand for outsourced development services.
Almac clinical services is investing in cold chain storage and distribution facilities and enhanced information systems to capitalise on the demand from clients for closer partnering opportunities. The unit is creating 181 new jobs over the next 5 years.
The investments will also create a further 26 new jobs within the group.
“These 348 new jobs will generate salaries of over £9.4 million per annum when the projects are fully implemented. This is a significant cash injection for the local economy. The investments are also good news for our growing life sciences sector, which is gaining an international reputation for innovation and excellence,” added the minister.
Invest NI has offered Almac Group £5.5 million of support towards its investment.
Alan Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of the Almac Group, said: “We are fortunate to employ an excellent highly-skilled workforce at our Craigavon headquarters, which has played a major role in our global growth. It’s fantastic that demand for our services has resulted in the creation of so many new jobs as we embark on further expansion over the next 5 years.”