Almac Group, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has unveiled plans to invest £80m in the expansion of its global headquarters located in Craigavon, Northern Ireland.
The expansion project is part of the global investment plans announced in 2022, which outlined a commitment to a £200m investment over the next three years to address growing client demand.
At its Craigavon headquarters, the CDMO will undertake the construction of new extensive manufacturing, production, and diagnostic laboratory facilities.
The new facilities are expected to create over 550 jobs locally, both lab-based and non-lab-based, with hiring for some of the posts having already begun.
According to Almac Group, this move is part of its global recruitment drive, which over the course of three years is anticipated to generate 1,000 employments in Northern Ireland.
Additionally, the investment will support the growth of operations for the group’s Almac Pharma Services and Almac Diagnostic Services business units.
The first of the two projects is a100,000ft2 good manufacturing practice (GMP) facility for Almac Pharma Services to produce multiple products.
A specially created dispensary space, several production suites, process equipment wash facilities, and a lineside warehouse for ambient, refrigerated, and frozen storage will all be housed in this Centre of Excellence for manufacturing.
The primary purpose of the new facility is to support solid oral dosage products to improve Almac Group’s current capabilities in the sector.
Expected to commence operations in Q3 2024, the facility will augment Almac Pharma Services’ current manufacturing capabilities and provide supplementary capacity for further important production contracts.
The second project, which is aimed to be finished by Q1 2024, is a four-storey, 40,000ft2 diagnostic development and manufacturing centre for Almac Diagnostic Services.
The facility will help Almac Diagnostic Services to produce and distribute companion diagnostic (CDx) kits on a commercial scale as well as broaden its offering for assay development.
The expansion is anticipated to strengthen Almac Group’s current early phase biomarker development capabilities and solidify its position as a fully resourced partner of choice for pharmaceutical companies looking to manufacture and commercialise CDx.
Almac Group chief executive Alan Armstrong said: “This £80m expansion and the creation of 550 new, highly skilled jobs in Northern Ireland will ensure that we remain the global leaders in our industry, giving our clients and ultimately patients across the world who benefit from these therapeutics, the best possible offering from Almac.”
