Tepnel Scientific Services

Tepnel Scientific Services Ltd is a dynamic provider of analytical, outsource solutions to the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Bio-Technology sectors. The company was formed in 2001, following the acquisition by Tepnel Life Sciences plc of the Scotlab bio-analytical laboratories in Glasgow and the Medicines Testing Laboratory in Edinburgh.

The company has grown in both size and annual turnover and as a part of the strategic growth plan of the company, the consolidation and relocation of the two facilities is seen a key element of its future success. Following extensive research and review, Livingston in West Lothian was identified as the geographical location that could provide the right infra-structural and economic benefits to meet with the strategic growth requirements of Tepnel and the needs of an increasing workforce.

Having laboratories in the two economic centres of Scotland has provided Tepnel with the ideal platform to stabilise the business and transition through into a profitable and growing business. Located on a science park in Glasgow and a town house in central Edinburgh, Tepnel has maximised the potential that these two locations provide. The implementation of the growth strategy required that current and prospective customer needs coupled with market expectations were continually considered. As a consequence of this exercise, increased capacity and resources, an expanded and synergistic portfolio of services and cutting edge technology were identified as being of paramount importance in building on the good business foundations that have been established since the company?s formation.

Tepnel has grown significantly since its formation in July 2001. During this period the company has tracked two specific objectives, Firstly financial stability and profitability and secondly the identification of the right location and package of support to relocate the business, once the time was right. Having achieved the first objective, quarter 4 of 2005 sees the second objective come to fruition as the process of construction on a purpose built facility in West Lothian begins.

Finding the right location has been a continual process for the company since its formation, with a number of potential locations and alternatives reviewed and researched. With 20 years of history in Glasgow and 30 years of history in Edinburgh, it was always going to be important that the geographical location for the business was absolutely correct. Moving two long established businesses in a marketplace where awareness of who you are and where you are is important, has to be dealt with sensitively but also purposefully. Our intent has always been to move to a facility which presents to our customers a bold statement of who Tepnel are and what we are about in terms of quality and regulatory compliance. Geographical location is as much a part of this statement as the facility and the manner in which it is fitted out.

As a service organisation, Tepnel is regularly visited by customers and regulatory authorities alike. We needed a geographical location with good accessibility through established infra-structure and transport systems. Situated roughly in the middle of the M8 corridor and serviced by two international airports within 30-60 minutes driving time meant that Livingston provided Tepnel with an ideal opportunity to capitilise on transport infra-structure and systems which were moving against the normal flows of traffic.

Additionally, relocating out of town, provides an opportunity for a greener and more environmentally friendly approach to how we as an organisation work and live.

Livingston was also considered as an early candidate due to the strong economic support offered to businesses through local organisations such as Scottish Enterprise, Edinburgh and Lothian. The availability of a grant through the Regional Selective Assistance programme, on the basis of safeguarding and creating jobs in Scotland, provided a mechanism that harmonised with the strategic growth plans of the Tepnel Group.

Our initial consideration was to retro-fit available accommodation space in Livingston. A review of the available properties provided a good selection of units and buildings, each one providing a number of interesting opportunities but also a number of interesting challenges. In the end it was determined that the best approach for our company would be to purchase land on an emerging development and build our facility from the ground up. In adopting this approach and with the help of our partners at Scottish Enterprise, Edinburgh and Lothian and our contractors Thermal Transfer Ltd, we were able to identify a plot of land 1.8 acres in size in the Eliburn area of Livingston and design a facility that meets with all our requirements and growth aspirations.

The Eliburn area was originally designated as the successor to Kirkton, Livingston?s original high tech campus. It lies to the North of Kirkton and has large areas of developable land owned by Scottish Enterprise, so future developments are expected to follow a high level of specification to ensure an attractive working environment

About Tepnel

Tepnel is a UK based international biotechnology company. The Company has laboratories, manufacturing and operations in the USA, UK and France with 175 employees. Tepnel provides test kits, reagents and services to two highly synergistic markets, these being Molecular Diagnostics and Biomedical Research. The company's strategy has been to identify high growth niche opportunities within these multi-billion pound markets. Tepnel focuses on these niche opportunities with internally developed products, patents, expertise and know-how as well as strategic acquisitions, to develop a leadership position within these defined market segments.