Teesdale business flies 100,000 miles to bring business home to Teesdale

Teesdale-based specialists in life sciences industry training, EPIC Consultancy and Training Ltd, have reported 40% export sales in less than two years of trading.

Consultants Mark Thompson and Gavin Ross, both experienced in the life sciences sector, say they have driven over 100,000 miles in the UK and Ireland, and flown over 100,000 miles around the world to win business.

EPIC provide process improvement knowledge to firms, a challenging environment given the life sciences industry’s heavy regulation.

The pair’s typical projects are achieving savings in excess of £100k per year for the pharmaceutical companies involved.

EPIC are working with pharmaceutical companies in UK, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands and further afield including USA, China, India and with plans to work in South America in 2014.

The firm have now collected the Teesdale Business Awards Exporter of the Year trophy, awarded by Business Durham.

John Parnell from Business Durham commented: “Business Durham’s choice of Epic Consultancy as winners of the inaugural ‘Teesdale Exporter of the Year’ award was based not only on their volume of overseas sales and range of markets, but also in recognition of the added value they have created through sub-contracting work to other local business and the network of smaller companies they have developed who can work together to deliver large and complex contracts.”

Links with other local companies that work in the Life Science sector such as Thermal Compliance Ltd based in Gainford, run by Chris Maughan, has allowed EPIC to deliver some very large and complex contracts around the world.

Mark said: “The business community and support in Teesdale is so entrepreneurial. We have had business support from Butler and Gee that has allowed us to focus on the technical aspects of the work and marketing support from Zine’

“China has been a significant investment for us. It is a huge market and they are looking to gain more EU and US approval for their products.

“We have been working with the Chinese Regulatory authorities the ‘State Food and Drug Administration’ to develop their standards for Sterile Product manufacture, including an inspection guideline. It’s great to think that the massive Chinese economy is being regulated with the help of guidance received from expertise in Teesdale!”