Two North East life sciences firms which count major pharmaceutical businesses among their clients have been snapped up by a Dutch group.
MTL Projects and Mark Thompson Lifesciences have been sold to Normec Group, an Amsterdam based company specialising in testing, inspection, certification and compliance. The deal value has not been revealed. Mark Thompson Lifesciences was founded by Mark Thompson in 2014 and offers consultancy services to the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries, with support provided by a team of consultants, trainers and engineers.
Five years ago Mr Thompson formed MTL Projects along with his two sons, Chris and Josh, who both held a background and experience in engineering. The firm is an engineering and CQV (Commissioning, Qualification and Validation) company serving pharmaceutical giants including Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and Siemens from its headquarters in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
Mr Thompson, managing director, said: “We are very happy to announce that MTL Projects and Mark Thompson Lifesciences have been acquired by Normec Group, which has a very significant Healthcare division that we will be part of. This is an exciting time for the company and we are confident this will provide a catalyst for growth and development of our service offerings from our existing strong foundations.
“We will continue to deliver the same scope of services with the same quality, expertise and delivery that we always have. Our company management and point of contacts are unchanged. Mark Thompson will still be leading the consultancy and training, with the rest of the MTL Projects team delivering the project and CQV support as usual to our existing QMS (Quality Management System).”
Normec’s Healthcare division is focused on safety in medical settings, providing optimal support and advice in the areas of fire and water safety and medical hygiene.
He added: “Over the last five years, MTL Projects has grown in size and capability and being part of the Normec Healthcare group will further enable and support this development, including links to associated companies that can provide a range of complementary services. “The MTL directors and the whole team are very enthusiastic about this relationship and we are confident it will enable the continued development of the scope and sale of our services.
“MTL Projects has always been a consultancy-led organisation and this remains the business ethos.”
Tom Eatough, KBS corporate director, added: “I’m delighted we managed to deliver this transaction for the shareholders in an accelerated timeframe. Normec is a great fit for MTL and I’m sure the acquisition will be a success for both parties moving forward.”
