Pfizer - a year on
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by Jess Banham
Exactly a year after Pfizer announced it was pulling out of
Kent, the site is showing signs of new life, according to its
director.
The world's largest research-based pharmaceutical
company told employees it was moving out
of Sandwich on February 1, 2011 with an expected loss of 2,400
jobs.
But in November, the company announced it would retain a
presence at the site, keeping 650 jobs at the campus. Another
250 members of staff would be kept on by the company in other parts
of the UK.
It was also revealed last week it is negotiating with a
potential buyer for the site, which is now called the Discovery
Park.
Meetings are being held with a consortium called
London and Metropolitan.
Annette Doherty, head of the Sandwich site for Pfizer said the
area was beginning to attract other businesses: "There are a number
of companies that have decided to co-locate with us and a number of
small organisations beginning to form that are expressing interest
in locating here at Discovery Park.
"With the regional growth fund and enterprise zone status
here, those are the sort of incentives and support from the
government that will help to incentivise businesses to set up here
and be successful in the future."
Despite the decision to keep some staff at Sandwich, the
company still had to lose around 1,500
jobs but according to Ms Doherty, many of the people
who were made redundant have now found work elsewhere.
She added: "We've been tracking what happened to our
former employees and approximately two thirds have found new
positions, or some have made decisions to set up new businesses
themselves, a small percentage has gone back into further
education and a few have moved into a new sector."
Two former employees have found success by setting up a new
business at Kent Science Park.
David Reed, pictured right, a fomer automation
manager at Pfizer and Tom Martin, who was a lead
automation engineer at the company, decided to set up
Flexible Lab Solutions after they were both made redundant.
Mr Reed, from Herne Bay, said: "Each individual processed the
announcement in a different way, some seemed quite downbeat and
felt the company was out to get them
while others immediately took it as a chance to do
something new or go and pursue something they'd always wanted
to do."
For David and Tom that was to set up their own business. They
now offer companies the chance to hire out expensive lab
equipment.
Mr Reed, whose wife also lost her job after the announcement,
said: "Something good comes of eveything. I believe a lot
of things are what you make of them so if you're the type of person
who can take an optimistic view of things, you can build
something."
Tuesday, January 31 2012
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