17 November 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon returned to Piramal Healthcare Limited in Grangemouth to open the firm’s new £2 million life science manufacturing suite.

She first visited the site in 2012 and went back to see the progress on site and check out the new facility.

The manufacturing suite, which has created 20 high value jobs, produces antibody drug conjugates which are involved in the treatment of various types of cancer.

It’s another example of the good work going on in Scotland’s Life Sciences sector, which currently employs around 33,000 people in total in Scotland.

The First Minister said:

“Piramal is the type of the company we are looking to lead Scotland’s economic growth. They are manufacturing innovative products for international use, and are investing in their workforce and infrastructure – a perfect example of our economic strategy in action.

“Piramal is a great example of an innovative company that is benefitting from the focus Scotland places on the life sciences sector. We have a thriving research and innovation led Life Sciences sector and Piramal is seeing the benefit of that as they manufacture products that are involved in the treatment of various types of cancer.”

Piramal has been growing its operations in Grangemouth over the last 10 years and site head, Dr Mark Wright, says they are looking to expand further:

“Piramal Healthcare UK Ltd has been growing its operations in Grangemouth since 2005 and currently employs around 140 people in predominantly highly skilled positions. We aim to scale up this facility in the next 5 years to maintain its position as a global leader in the production of Antibody Drug Conjugates.”

Piramal also became the 150th firm to commit to the Scottish Business Pledge, a voluntary code for companies to commit to the best of modern business practices. The First Minister launched the Pledge in May – click to read more.

The Scottish Business Pledge is one of the steps the First Minister has taken in her economic approach which places focus on the need for inclusive growth and innovation. Others include:

• a new Economic Strategy, which focuses on investing in our people and infrastructure; fostering a culture of innovation; promoting inclusive growth and internationalisation;
• the creation of a £78 million fund to help innovative companies develop new products;
• launching the voluntary 50:50 by 2020 scheme to encourage gender balance in the boardrooms of public, private and Third Sector organisations over the next five years;
• establishing the Fair Work Convention to develop, promote and sustain a fair employment framework for Scotland by March 2016.

The First Minister added:

“I am passionate about making Scotland a fairer country and we have taken great strides in making that happen.

“At heart of our economic strategy is ensuring that we tackle inequality for the benefit of all of Scotland because a fairer society is a more productive and prosperous society.

“Our strategy focuses on investment, innovation and internationalisation, and these pillars will lead us to inclusive growth.

“In the past year we have taken steps to ensure economic growth is inclusive and fairly distributed. But our work does not stop here –we will press on with our vision of a fairer Scotland.

“We will continue to put the people of Scotland – all of Scotland – first and we will never shirk from that.”