BBI Group and the Welsh Government announce multi-million pound investment
BBI Group is consolidating and expanding its UK manufacturing operations onto a single site in Caerphilly in an £8.5m investment, supported by the Welsh Government, that will create and safeguard more than three hundred and sixty jobs in Wales (Welsh Government, 2017).
BBI Group, which is currently headquartered in Cardiff, has a number of manufacturing facilities in the UK. Following an internal consultation, the move to the Border Technology Park, Crumlin, will enable the company to centralise manufacturing and development activities from Blaenavon, Cardiff and Dundee under one roof, creating a Centre of Excellence for multiple technology streams and a new global headquarters.
With a Welsh Government grant of £1.8m, the investment will see employment in Wales increase from one hundred and eighty to three hundred and sixty six by 2020. It will provide excellent career opportunities in the Valleys, foster closer links to the scientific and academic community, and provide a significant boost for the local economy.
Welsh Economy Secretary Ken Skates welcomed the news today and said “BBI Group is a made-in-Wales success story; a highly successful company and a strategically important player in the life science sector globally. I am particularly pleased WG support helped secure this significant investment for Wales. Founded in 1986 as a Cardiff University spin out, BBI Group has grown to become a £60m turnover company and this expansion project will secure the company’s long term sustainable future in Wales. It will not only create and safeguard a significant number of high quality jobs but will also support the local economy through an annual spend of more than £1m with supply chain companies. In addition, the fit out and alterations of the building will support around 75 FTE jobs in the construction industry.”
BBI Solutions operates in the global diagnostics market manufacturing enzymes and assays for use in diagnostics for a wide range of disease areas as well as the development of proteins for use in cell culture tissue.
BBI Solutions CEO Lyn Rees said “This investment represents a significant step towards realising our strategic goals. Through investing in our manufacturing footprint in Wales we are increasing our capacity to support long term growth. Our new state of the art facility in Crumlin will allow us to operate more efficiently and to a higher regulatory standard, giving us the pedigree to compete more effectively in our expanding markets across Europe, USA and China. It also has excellent links to the M4 corridor and Cardiff International Airport. We’re excited to embark on this new phase in the company’s growth, and sincerely grateful for the assistance provided by Welsh Government, Cardiff Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council.”
Skills and Science Minister Julie James said “The life science sector in Wales continues to go from strength-to-strength and is certainly gaining a very strong reputation both nationally and internationally as the place to do business. Increasing the amount of research, development and innovation undertaken in Wales is vital for economic growth and creating high quality jobs and our commitment to increasing Wales’ STEM capabilities is unwavering. We already have a number of world class researchers and companies working in diagnostic and regenerative medicine and BBI’s expansion in Wales will undoubtedly be key to stimulating further growth and raising the profile of what Wales can offer this important sector.”