Expansion of its range of service has prompted a move for Melbourn Scientific
The company has almost doubled its capacity with the purchase of new premises on the Saxon Way Business Park at the opposite end of Melbourn village.
The company was established over 15 years ago to provide contract analytical services for the pharmaceutical business.
The laboratory plays an important role in ensuring that tablets, inhalers, creams and capsules all perform as they should.
The company has recently introduced additional services to its portfolio and has been actively recruiting to meet demand from new clients.
The company's policy of 'growing its own' staff has helped overcome the skills shortage and has created a pool of trained staff able to cope with unexpected peaks in demand.
As chief executive Steve Westcott explains, the flexibility to scale up quickly is a strong competitive advantage in the contract services business, and the new premises will facilitate this: "The new property has increased the amount of area available for laboratory and offers an additional self-contained factory/laboratory that can be sublet until required".
The premises were selected in preference to dedicated laboratories as Melbourn will be designing its own workspace.
"Many of the 'laboratories' we looked at had a very stereoscopic view of science and would limit the functionality of the spaces.
"Our analysts work together in teams so we are designing the laboratory as an open plan area with multifunction desking, this will support team working on short projects".
"In addition, there will be dedicated areas for an enhanced range of services".
"Stability testing for example - where tablets are tested at intervals over a three or five-year period - can be very resource intensive".
"We plan to increase our capacity in this important area." The purchase was arranged through Barford.
Melbourn Scientific is due to move into the new laboratories in the autumn following a complete refit.
Melbourn Scientific has invested continually in the latest equipment.
The company employs about 40 analysts at its laboratories and has grown organically to provide a range of contract analytical services to the pharmaceutical industry.
