Swindon pharmaceutical manufacturer to create extra 100 jobs

Thermo Fisher Scientific in Dorcan has revealed to Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins a five-year plan to create 100 extra jobs.

The firm, one of the town's employers for more than 50 years, began as French pharmaceutical company Roussel Laboratories before becoming part of Patheon.

Since the 2017 acquisition of Patheon, it has been part of Thermo Fisher, one of the largest life sciences companies in the country and a global organisation that employs 120,000 employees worldwide.

Cllr Robbins visited the company to hear about its plans and to see its state-of-the-art, full-scale manufacturing site, which is responsible, among other therapies, for flu vaccines used in the UK.

Employing almost 400 people, the Thermo Fisher site has always had a history of making sterile liquid and lyophilized products and, since 2020, has invested $200m to support the manufacturing of vaccines and pharmaceutical drugs for other serious diseases.

This has seen the 300,000 sq ft site turned into a commercial manufacturing facility producing sterile products for the pharmaceutical industry.

It was during his tour that Cllr Robbins was told how Thermo Fisher is set to grow the site over the next five years, creating up to 100 jobs in the process.

Cllr Robbins said: “I’d like to thank the team at Thermo Fisher for giving me a behind-the-scenes tour of the site to gain an understanding of the incredible manufacturing processes involved in producing products which are keeping people safe and healthy on a daily basis.

“I was also delighted to hear about the firm’s plans to expand production and create an extra hundred jobs over the next few years, which is a great vote of confidence in the town and in our workforce here in Swindon.

“We are lucky to have a huge number of employers in Swindon, both big and small, who are all playing their part to ensure our economy continues to thrive and I’m keen to celebrate their contribution as much as possible.”

The visit was part of a Borough-wide tour to showcase and celebrate the success and innovation of Swindon’s businesses, and Cllr Robbins also took the opportunity to share the council’s Swindon Plan, which sets out its missions to build a fairer, better and greener Swindon.

Colin Drummond, the General Manager of the Thermo Fisher site, said: “We are really proud to continue to invest in the site and the workforce in Swindon.

“It was great to meet Cllr Robbins and the visit was a good opportunity to discuss how we can do this in partnership with Swindon Borough Council.”