THERMO Fisher Scientific has unveiled a £14 million facility at its base in Inchinnan, near Glasgow, where a novel technology is used to make products for drugs which treat 'flu and other diseases.
The life sciences giant said the investment brings continuity of supply for its clients in target markets around the world, complementing its existing facility in Grand Island, upstate New York.
It is a major vote of confidence in its Scottish workforce, which switched to Thermo Fisher when it acquired California-based Life Technologies Corporation for $13.6 billion in 2013.
Thermo Fisher is investing £12m in the new facility, alongside a Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant of £1.9m secured through Scottish Enterprise.
It represents the biggest investment at the Inchinnan site since a third building was added in 2009, with the RSA grant having been crucial to the project going ahead.
The site has adopted Advanced Granulation Technology (AGT) to manufacture dry media powder.
AGT, which Thermo Fisher utilises in its US plant, takes all the properties cells need to live - such as salts, sugar, amino acids, vitamins - which are packaged in a usable format for manufacturers.
The format reduces the number of components needed in cell culture manufacturing, and can be used in a range of drugs, including anti-cancer therapeutics.
The names of the drugs for which AGT is utilised are generally not disclosed, but Thermo Fisher said there are around 400 products on the market which have employed the technology.
These include some of the "largest blockbusters" in bio-therapeutics.
AGT is also said to bring the benefits of traditional liquid media without the associated cost, storage and transportation challenges.
Plans to introduce the facility to Inchinnan were first mooted four years ago, but it was not until 18 months ago that building work got underway.
Mark Smedley, Thermo Fisher's president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the plant will ensure a pipeline of products for clients by bolstering its US site, the only other site where it uses the technology.
Mr Smedley said: "The facility we have in Scotland is now the expansion to that, and the purpose is to supply not only the capacity that we need - this is a rapidly-growing product line - but also [to] be able to supply product a lot closer to a lot of our customers in Europe."
He added: "One of the challenges if you are a bio pharma and you are producing life-saving drugs [is] you have a commitment to patients to make sure you don't run out.
"As a result, we have the same commitment to our customers to make sure they don't run out."
Mr Smedley said the investment will result in 30 roles being added to the 600-strong workforce, the bulk of whom are educated to a high level.
Most staff in engineering, manufacturing and operations roles at Inchinnan hold at least a bachelor of biological science or engineering degrees, with qualified to PhD level, Mr Smedley said.
As well as the jobs being brought through AGT, Mr Smedley said the company was continuing to add to its headcount in areas such as finance and operations and distribution, on the strength of Inchinnan being the commercial head office for its European operation.
On the support secured through Scottish Enterprise, he said the grant was "one of the two main reasons we ended up with a facility here, the other being that this site has a 45-year track record of manufacturing excellence in this type of manufacturing."
Mr Smedley said: "It's important to choose the right location for a factory of this significance, and we felt the depth of experience, skills and expertise at Inchinnan made it the perfect place to make this investment."
Thermo Fisher is a world leader in life sciences, employing around 50,000 staff in 50 countries and generating revenues of $17 billion.
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