The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates will today (Tuesday, 17 November) officially open the new £4.5m Norgine warehouse in Hengoed providing another major boost to the life sciences sector in Wales.
The investment by Norgine will allow them to expand production and strengthen the long-term future of the Hengoed site, which currently employs around 328 full-time staff, making it the largest pharmaceutical employer in Wales.
The site hosts facilities to manufacture, pack and ship, globally used medicines. They manufacture over 20 million packs of product in Wales every year and the new 2,669m2 temperature controlled warehouse will have much larger storage facilities, including several quality control areas for the testing of ingredients.
Norgine is Welsh Government Anchor Company, working closely with the Welsh Government to help drive economic growth and create jobs in the life sciences sector in Wales. The sector currently employs around 11,000 people in over 350 companies in Wales.
Ken Skates, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, who opened the new warehouse, said:
“I am delighted to be opening this new warehouse. This major investment by Norgine is a vote of confidence in the Hengoed site and the Life Sciences sector in Wales. As one of our Anchor Companies Norgine are playing a key role in realising our ambition to create a thriving Life Sciences sector in Wales and deliver economic growth and high-quality jobs.”
Meirion Richards, Site Director, Norgine Hengoed said:
“Norgine is very proud to have been a key employer in Hengoed since 1969. Through our investments in our Welsh site, Norgine has been able to increase production to supply medicines to patients worldwide at the right time and right price. Today’s warehouse opening is significant for Norgine because it highlights our long term objective to remain a centre of excellence as an EU specialist pharma company.”