In Profile: Randox Laboratories

By Sonia Nicholas, Clinical Diagnostics Editor, SelectScience

When I visited the Randox headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, last year, I was intrigued to hear the story of its beginnings; the company as it stands now is a true testament to the determination, passion and entrepreneurial skill of its founder.

Randox Laboratories Ltd. is a global provider of in vitro diagnostic products, with offices and distribution in more than 145 countries. But the origins of this company are much more humble. It started with the vision of just one man, and a converted out-house.

Dr Peter FitzGerald CBE FREng began his career as a research fellow at Queen’s University, Belfast. He quickly realized that a private enterprise, uncomplicated by academic and political constraints, would provide a more conducive environment for creative science and job creation. He started developing IVD chemistry kits in his spare time, working out of a converted out-house in his parents’ back yard. In 1982, Dr FitzGerald started officially manufacturing and selling a range of seven Randox clinical chemistry kits. As the company was founded during troubling times in Northern Ireland, Dr FitzGerald hoped that one day Randox would provide jobs at home for scientists and graduates who were, at the time, leaving the country.

It took Dr FitzGerald three months to get his first order, and from that point, hard work and extreme dedication enabled him to slowly but surely build his client base. He also started exporting almost immediately, traveling around the USA to find customers for his products.

As a small company based in a country under the spotlight, Randox went to great lengths to ensure that it delivered excellent customer service. It sent high value enzymes to Washington on the supersonic jet Concorde; another time the company chartered a yacht to deliver diagnostic kits to hospitals on the UK mainland during a workers’ strike. Randox’s reputation for excellent service is upheld today, this is clearly visible in the product reviews left by SelectScience members.

Today, Randox employs more than 1,300 staff. The company’s profile has expanded to include quality management solutions (Acusera QC material, 24.7 peer group reporting and RIQAS EQA programmes); the RX Series of clinical chemistry analyzers (including the RX Daytona Plus, RX Imola); and the in-house developed Biochip Array Technology systems (including the Evidence Evolution and Evidence Investigator).

Randox is a company that is passionate about saving lives and developing innovative and pioneering products to improve global health. To this end, Randox is heavily committed to Research and Development programs, and this has led the company to diversify into many other areas. The Randox Group currently incorporates Randox Laboratories, Randox Teoranta, Randox Toxicology, Randox Health, Confidante, Randox Life Sciences, Randox Testing Services and Randox Pharma Services, Randox Food Diagnostics.

Randox has an impressive 400 new tests in development, and works closely with clinical and academic partners in Northern Ireland, such as the University of Ulster, Queen’s University and Craigavon Hospital and specialists in the Belfast City Hospital and The Royal Victoria Hospital.
The company currently manufactures approximately 3.2 billion diagnostic tests a year. This demonstrates a successful and highly ambitious company, driven by individuals with a real passion and excitement for impacting positively on healthcare. Many of the senior managers and leaders of Randox were research fellows who joined Dr Fitzgerald at the very beginning of his journey.

If you were to visit the international headquarters of the company in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland today, you might find it hard to imagine that the comprehensive manufacturing facilities started from such small foundations. Randox has also just unveiled plans for a futuristic manufacturing and research & development facility in Antrim, Northern Ireland, Randox Science Park. This £161 million project promises to accelerate the development of new diagnostic products in areas such as cancer, stroke, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders. This announcement comes on the back of a €25m investment by Randox in its Teoranta division,a cutting-edge life-science and engineering research andmanufacturing centre based in Dungloe, Co. Donegal. The investment in plant, equipment and engineering R&D will see the plants employment figures increase from 66 to 540 by 2020.

Considering how much the Randox team has achieved in just over 30 years, imagine what the next 30 years of scientific innovation might bring.