We are very pleased to announce that we have completed a viral vector suite facility for Cobra Biologics (“Cobra”); a biologics specialist at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine scale-up and manufacturing. Located within Keele University campus, Cobra has invested in upgrading part of its existing development and production facility with 3 viral vector suites to enable the company to expand its clinical and commercial viral vector services as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO). The time-critical project is a pivotal element of the company’s commercial strategy and BES has delivered the project despite the social distancing and supply chain challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are delighted to join the Women's Engineering Society (WES) and their campaign #ShapeTheWorld, in support of Women in Engineering Day (#INWED20), which takes place on the 23rd of June. As a show of support we would like to celebrate the women working for BES and the important roles they play within our company. Undoubtedly they are all helping to ‘shape BES’, and are having a positive impact on all aspects of our business including management, technical design, business development, commercial, digital, safety and quality. READ MORE
BES has successfully completed the first phase of a project to design and construct a new pharmacy and aseptic suite at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield. The project includes clinical trial and ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) facilities that will enable the hospital to provide gene therapy treatments on site. The project is being delivered in two coordinated phases to allow the existing pharmacy to remain operational while the new one is delivered, before work begins on the aseptic suite...READ MORE
BES has recently completed the modernisation of the new Protein Science Laboratories for AstraZeneca, within their facility at Granta Park in Cambridge. As part of AstraZeneca’s UK strategic goal, scientists have moved from the existing Alderley Park research and development laboratories in Cheshire to this new facility, which has been put to immediate use in supporting efforts to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Working as principal designer and principal contractor, our multidisciplinary team reconfigured the existing space to accommodate the new Protein Science laboratories and coldroom. READ MORE...
Now, more than ever, we are drawing upon the strength of BES’s collaborative culture to help us navigate through the current challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic presents a number of challenges on both personal and professional levels that we must learn to adapt to and cope with. We’d like to share with you some thoughts of our team members who currently work on design and construction projects, supporting our clients in healthcare and pharmaceutical markets. In brief interviews, they talk about their current projects and how they are finding themselves in this new reality. READ MORE
Gavin Statham, Regional Director at BES, a specialist in the design and construction of cleanrooms, aseptic facilities and other sophisticated environments, discusses the demanding requirements for hospital aseptic facilities and how the healthcare sector can benefit from the experience of the pharmaceutical industry. High-specification, specialist facilities for the preparation of aseptically-prepared drugs need to provide a sterile environment that safeguards the purity and accuracy of the formulation. Such facilities are frequently built into pharmaceutical manufacturing environments where GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) guidelines ensure compliance to recognised standards. READ MORE...
At BES, we’re used to mission-critical project timelines. With so many of our projects in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors providing the specialist assets that form part of a wider strategy, every project is delivered to a critical path that makes sure we achieve the client’s objectives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, answering our clients’ requirements is more important than ever. We are supply chain partners for NHS Trusts who are on the frontline of caring for patients and preparing for increased demand on services. We’re also a key element in the pharmaceuticals delivery chain that will provide medical equipment and medicines during this challenging time, and are working with biotech organisations that are investing their expertise and resources to develop a vaccine. READ MORE...
For all of us, these days of social distancing and self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic are tough. Not only are we dealing with the commercial challenges of maintaining business continuity at a time when change is constant; we’re also trying to come to terms with a new definition of ‘normal’ across all aspects of life. We’re fortunate here at BES that the technology and agile working practices already embedded in the business are enabling us to work from home and continue collaborating with clients. The platforms we use to design and engineer specialist facilities are enabling our inter-disciplinary team to work together and share documents as normal to progress projects at design phase. READ MORE...
BES and Norwood have teamed up with Wassenburg Medical to combine our manufacturing experience and industry knowledge in order to produce a range of bespoke isolation pods. Developed utilising Norwood’s specialist partitioning systems, the pods can help to battle the spread of coronavirus across the UK. These fully demountable units can be installed into any fallow area within a hospital or can be provided as an external facility to form a temporary isolation ward or a testing station. The flexibility of the construction allows each system to be pre-engineered and tailored to suit any requirements, incorporating solid or glazed panels. We can also provide a range of integrated services which can be concealed and housed within the pod’s structure, delivering a complete solution. All the products are manufactured off site at Norwood’ production facility, thus the isolation pods can be supplied within days, with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.
We are pleased to share with you the time lapse video showcasing the CSA Catapult Innovation Centre. BES delivered this project on a full turnkey basis, with a scope encompassing architectural, HVAC and electrical services to 1,000m2 of cleanroom and laboratory space. The project also included the fit-out to 1500m2 of open plan offices and collaborative spaces. The cleanrooms and laboratories have been constructed using Norwood Group Ltd specialist cleanroom partition system. The CSA Catapult Innovation Centre is located at the heart of the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in south Wales and will play a pivotal role in building on the UK’s world-leading expertise in the sector, through innovation, testing and research.