Faced with pricing pressures and increased delays and cancellations many contract service companies have put expansion plans on hold and initiated hiring freezes, or is some cases lay-offs.
In contrast, Utah, US-based Nelson Laboratories is expanding and planning on continuing to grow over the next decade. The company has just completed a $14m (€9.9m) 50,000 sq ft building which connects via a bridge to its original premises.
Housed on the first and third floors of the new building are support offices, with the second floor dedicated to new laboratories for biocompatibility, microbiology and pharmaceutical testing.
These laboratories connect to the original building, which now has expansion room for the company’s 12 laboratory departments. Nelson intends to equip the laboratories with the latest technology and equipment to put it at the forefront of pharma, medical device and nutraceutical testing.
Hiring employees to work at the expanded site is next on Nelson’s agenda, with the company stating the process is already underway. In 2010 the company plans to hire as many as 75-100 people and could create up to 300 jobs over the next 10 years.
This growth is inline with Nelson’s historic expansion. The company was formed in Salt Lake City in 1985 and occupied a 24,000 sq ft facility. Nelson expanded this to 62,000 sq ft in 2001 and now, with the addition of the new building, has over 110,000 sq ft of office space.
Included at the new site is a gym, cafeteria with company subsidised lunches and a child care and mothering room with work facilities.