Quintiles Transnational

Quintiles Transnational, headquartered in North Carolina, USA, employs a global workforce. The company helps improve healthcare worldwide by providing a broad range of professional services, information and partnering solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries.

Quintiles decided to locate in Scotland in 1995, and since then the company has expanded in breadth and scope of activities. Quintiles has expanded from 195 employees in 1995 to over 400 today.

In Summer 2005 part of the Scottish business was sold to Aptuit for £72m who continue to employ another 300 people in West Lothian. However this didn't mark a halt in the expansion of Quintiles in West Lothian as in June 2007 Quintiles revealed plans to expand their Livingston presence by building a 112,000 square foot structure at the high tech Alba Campus which could be expanded to 132,000 square feet in future.

The new building will provide about 80,000 square feet of space for the laboratory business and should create 150 new jobs over the next four years.

"Our lab business is expanding - globally and in Europe - because of our proximity to clinical trial sites and our tight quality control," said Thomas Wollman, Senior Vice President, Global Central Laboratories. "This new facility will enhance our level of customer service in the UK and Europe, just as our new central lab in Mumbai has improved service in India. We will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen our global central lab network."

The attractions of West Lothian for Quintiles included rapid access to Edinburgh and Glasgow International Airports, which both have direct European and transatlantic connections. Another huge advantage of West Lothian has been the availability of quality, well qualified staff.

Quintiles employs people with an extremely wide spectrum of skills, including scientists, manufacturing operatives, staff involved in financial transactions, accountants and multi-lingual call service staff who speak some eleven languages.

The company continues to be impressed by the quality and experience of people in West Lothian and the surrounding areas. "We want to thank West Lothian Council, the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise for their support in our project," said Graham Murray, General Manager, Quintiles Laboratories Europe. "Their assistance, particularly the Regional Selective Assistance grant, was instrumental in our decision to expand in Livingston."

With its excellent location, reasonably priced land and premises, effective transport infrastructure with easy access to two international airports, and an excellent range of quality staff across a wide spectrum of skills, West Lothian has delivered for Quintiles.