New Construction Is Right On Schedule

During the last few months, 150 tonnes of steel have been erected to provide the 40,000 sq ft structure, which will double the footprint of Brecon’s existing operation in Hay-on-Wye. The main services are now all in place and the floors for the buildings are being cast. Over the next few weeks the roofs will be completed with specially commissioned slates. The production area, which will be fully operational before the end of the year, will initially house two bottling and two blister lines. The official opening ceremony for the new development is scheduled to take place in the early part of 2006.

Brecon Laboratory celebrates 1st year success

Following its first successful year in operation, Brecon’s new purpose built analytical laboratory has seen a major growth in business which has resulted in the need for further investment in its equipment and staff.

Following the introduction of the new EU Clinical Trials directive, Brecon has seen increased demand from customers for laboratory services. Having dedicated facilities on-site is proving an extremely valuable resource and ensures that Brecon can meet its customers’ deadlines. The dedicated Analytical Services Unit provides a wide range of services to global customers, ranging from simple ID testing, analytical method transfers, product release and ICH stability testing, through to method development and validation.

Other advances which have been introduced into the laboratory over recent months have included the development of a new generic method for cleaning packaging equipment, and an increase in expertise within thelaboratory to enable the testing of inhaled products. The Analytical Services team works extremely closely with Brecon’s specialist Clinical Trials Department, increasing customer service further by enabling requests, such as identity testing, to be completed within 24–48 hours of reaching the laboratory.

Business Development Manager Jane Sanderson, says Analytical Services is a key growth area for Brecon. She said, “The development of our laboratory capabilities in conjunction with the full range of CT services we offer ensures that we can now provide an extremely comprehensive and highly efficient service for our customers.” Brecon will be highlighting its laboratory capabilities along with its full range of CT services at the upcoming DIA exhibitions in Lisbon and Washington and the ICR exhibition in Birmingham in March 2005

New Engineering Manager for Brecon Expansion

Following the further expansion of its production facilities Brecon has appointed Malcolm Bowdich as Engineering Manager.

Malcolm joined Brecon in 1994 as an Engineering Supervisor when the company had just two members in its Engineering team. 10 years on, Malcolm now heads up a team of 14 who are currently involved with the implementation of the largest expansion programme in the company’s 25 year history. As well as the construction of the major new production and warehouse facilities, Brecon has continued to expand and develop its existing facilities at Hay-on-Wye.

Three new production cubicle spaces have been developed to accommodate new bottling and blister-pack lines, while a fourth cubicle is currently under construction. Brecon has also relocated its cold store and –75ºC freezer into its production area to help increase efficiency further. Other developments include the building of a new engineering maintenance workshop area.

This will provide Malcolm and his engineering team with a dedicated workshop and tool store, enabling the company to increase its in-house engineering and machine work capabilities further. Commenting on his new role Malcolm said, “I am delightedto be heading up Brecon’s Engineering team at this extremely exciting time for the business. The company has changed massively in the last 10 years and 2005 will see even greater changes. In the meantime, we have expanded our existing production facilities and increased the capabilities of the engineering team to ensure we can meet the growing demands of both new and existing customers.”

A warm welcome

Customers visiting Brecon’s Hay-on Wye operation will receive a warm welcome from two new faces on reception.

David Prescott and Bernadette Barnes are job sharing the key role of receptionist for Brecon, having taken over from Lyn Morrison, who had been a highly popular member of Brecon’s team for many years. Bernadette joins Brecon following an extensive background in secretarial and administrative work and with a great deal of customer service experience. Bernadette sees her role as positively promoting Brecon as the first point of contact, she said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. Originally from Somerset, Dave moved to the area just over a year ago. He has a background in corporate relations and has now been working in offices for six years. He too says that serving customers is his passion.

Brecon CEO is a ‘Leading Wales’ Winner

Brecon Chief Executive Officer John Bath has been recognised as a top leader in Wales after receiving one of the first ever Leading Wales Awards.

TheLeading Wales Awards 2005 were launched this year. People were invited to nominate colleagues whom they regarded as exceptional leaders and Brecon’s Training and Standards Manager Des Preece decided to nominate John Bath. The Awards aim to recognise and celebrate personal achievement in outstanding leadership and management. Nominations were submitted from all over Wales and the finalists were short listed from over 70 candidates.

The Awards were presented at a lunch at the Cardiff Hilton and John Bath was the winner in the Businesses with more than 250 employees category, sponsored by The Principality Building Society. After the success of the Award, Des Preece said, “When I firstheard about these awards, I knew that John would be an ideal nomination, but I had some difficulty persuading him to participate. Eventually he agreed, on the understanding that any success could only be beneficial for Brecon Pharmaceuticals. We took our eight Staff Council members to the event and of course we were all absolutely delighted when John won. It is a great achievement for John and everyone at Brecon.”

Barbara Chidgey, consortium member and spokesperson for the Leading Wales Awards said, “The standard of entries for the first ever Leading Wales Awards was tremendous, making the selection of finalists and winners extremely challenging for the judges. All the finalists have shown outstanding abilities in providing direction, gaining commitment, facilitating change, and achieving outstanding results, through the efficient, creative and responsible deployment of their people and resources.”

DIARY DATES

March 7–9
Drug Information Association, 17th Annual Euro Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal 22–23

March
Institute of Clinical Research, Birmingham International Convention Centre

11–13 April
Drug Information Association Best-in-class Clinical Supply Units and Breakthrough Technologies Philadelphia, United States

18–20 May
Interphex Japan 2005 Toyko, Japan