Scottish First Minister seeks talks with Aptuit over plant closures
pharmafile | December 21, 2010 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | Aptuit, Scotland, manufacturing facilities, pharma manufacturing
US contract manufacturing and drug development company Aptuit says it may shut down two facilities in Lothian, Scotland, because demand for their services has been cut, placing 340 skilled jobs at risk.
The scale of the closures has prompted an intervention by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who is planning to meet with Aptuit chairman and chief executive Tim Tyson in early 2011 to see if there is a way to prevent the closures and job losses.
In a statement, the company said its business had been affected by the “worldwide economic downturn and pharmaceutical market dynamics”, which had forced it to consider closing the plants at Livingston and Riccarton, near Edinburgh.
The Ricccarton unit is the larger of the two sites at 213,000 sq.ft. and will account for the bulk of the job losses should the plan proceed as expected. Like the 61,000 sq.ft. Livingston unit it provides a range of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing services.
Aptuit said it is planning a ‘phased withdrawal’ from the two facilities – which employ around 340 workers – over the next 12 months, but stressed two other Scottish sites in Glasgow and Bathgate, West Lothian, will not be affected by the cutbacks.
Some of the Riccarton and Livingston workers may be able to find employment elsewhere within the Aptuit group, it added. The company is planning a 90-day consultation period with staff before finalising its plans.
There have been suggestions in the local press that some of the work carried out at the plants may be taken over by Aptuit’s recently-acquired 700,000 sq.ft. facility in Verona, Italy.
Aptuit bought the plant – which was itself under the threat of closure – from former owner GlaxoSmithKline in the summer. The Italian plant handles a range of early drug development services as well as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production.
Phil Taylor
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