Almac plans 100 new jobs in North with cold store investment

Pharma group Almac plans to create 100 additional jobs in the North with the launch of a new cold store facility at its global headquarters in Craigavon.

The group said its £20 million (€22.6 million) investment in the new 95,000 sq ft custom built cold store facility - one of the largest in Europe - reflects its commitment to its roots in the North.

Last month privately owned Almac, which employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, also announced a further £30 million investment programme for its European campus in Dundalk which it established in 2017 to “address” any potential Brexit-related challenges.

The group plans to expand its Dundalk campus, which is 40 minutes by road from its Craigavon headquarters, to meet "current and future client needs in the European Union marketplace".

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However on Wednesday Almac was keen to highlight the key role that its global headquarters will continue to play.

Alan Armstrong, chief executive of the Almac Group, said its latest Northern Ireland investment had been purpose-built to meet customer requirements and will provide additional capacity and tailored design to enable clients if they choose to scale up with the group.

300% expansion

“This new facility expands our cold storage capacity by 300 per cent and our frozen storage capabilities by over 50 per cent, enabling us to better serve our clients, and ultimately patients, worldwide thereby maintaining our position as a global leader in the life sciences sector,” Mr Armstrong said.

The new facility will have 3,000 pallet spaces including -15°C to -25°C storage capacity, additional 2°C to 8°C secondary production rooms, 3PL processing areas and a custom designed clinical labelling suite.

The group has also developed additional office space that it says will be home to the 100 new employees that it plans to recruit as a result of its latest expansion.