Intertek boosts Northern Powerhouse with new 10,000 sq ft lab

Product testing firm Intertek has officially opened its new 10,000 sq ft biopharmaceutical lab in the heart of the Northern Powerhouse.

The new facility, at Manchester’s Hexagon Tower, expands the firm’s presence in the North to 30,000 sq ft and will create over 10 skilled jobs between now and 2018.

Life Sciences Minister George Freeman, who attended the opening, said: “The impressive new Intertek laboratory underlines the importance of the Northern Powerhouse to the UK’s life sciences industry, which has already seen £3.5bn of investment and the creation of 11k jobs since the Prime Minister launched the UK Strategy for Life Sciences in 2011.

“With its ability to bring 21st century medicines one step closer to NHS patients, this facility can drive the innovation and growth of the future, putting life sciences in the North West firmly on the map.”

Work at the new centre will focus on the safety and efficacy testing of medicines for chronic ailments such as heart disease and cancer-related illnesses.

Chetan Parmar, the senior vice president of Intertek Life Sciences, commented: “As biologic drugs become increasingly complicated, our clients require comprehensive testing to overcome the challenges of medicine development.

“With our continual commitment to meeting these challenges, Intertek’s experts and high quality laboratories play a key role in ensuring that drugs manufactured all over the world are safe and effective.”

Meanwhile, Intertek’s chief executive for the UK and Ireland, Rob van Dorp, said he believes the new Manchester lab’s position at the centre of the Northern Powerhouse initiative means Intertek is primed to respond to global client demands.

He said: “Among the exciting projects now starting at this lab is work on a new class of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for previously untreatable diseases, as well as testing of other complex vaccines and medicines such as antibody drug conjugates, which offer great potential for a range of difficult-to-treat cancers.”

Intertek operates six other sites in the Manchester area, from which it provides inspection, testing and certification services to the consumer healthcare, chemicals, beauty product, food and oil and gas industries. On a national level the firm runs a network of 60 laboratories, with 1,000 globally.

John Stageman, the chairman of science organisation Bionow, said of the new laboratory: “Intertek’s decision to expand its biopharma lab in Manchester supports the growth of the North of England as a significant region for British scientific innovation.

“With 1,000 businesses employing 38,000 highly skilled workers and generating a turnover of £10.9bn, the North is home to a quarter of the UK’s biomedical and life sciences sector.”

He continued: “It is great news that Intertek has chosen to invest in the expansion of its biopharma capabilities here in Manchester. We look forward to watching the Intertek business develop as the sector grows.”

Intertek is just one of a number of firms that have recently expanded at Hexagon Tower.