Wickham Laboratories History
"Throughout our History, we have always recognised the importance of understanding our clients requirements"
Wickham Laboratories Limited has evolved to become an established name in the field of Pharmaceutical and Food contract analysis testing and attracts clientele from around the globe. Our healthcare microbiology departments have grown significantly in recent years and have developed excellent working relationships with a prestigious range of world-renown customers who recognise the quality of service we deliver day in day out.
The Laboratories all started from humble origins through the vision of the founder and still Managing Director William B Cartmell. Originally from Lancashire, Mr Cartmell moved south and purchased a one man veterinary practise at Wickham, Fareham, Hampshire in 1954. Success quickly followed and the practise increased to 6 branches in South East Hampshire during the following years. To complement this growth in business, a small-and large-animal hospital facility was constructed. As well as offering treatments, the early business developed diagnosis methods and a laboratory facility was built within the practise premises at Wickham.
In 1965, Wickham Laboratories was incorporated as a separate entity to provide in house services to the practises and to a broader section of the animal-health industry. The facilities rapidly evolved, as well as the services offered and so widening the client base, consisting of general UK practitioners, farmers, animal feed companies and the poultry industry.
Specific techniques were developed for on-farm use, such as pregnancy diagnosis, providing invaluable, new tools to the UK's animal husbandry industry. A sister company Wickham Laboratories (SPF Farms) Ltd was sequentially constructed developing specific pathogen free poultry flocks providing SPF Fertile eggs whose embryo's were utilised in production of human and poultry vaccines worldwide. As the Company's skills evolved, the scope for serving the human healthcare and food industries emerged and subsequently became evermore important.
Today, Wickham Laboratories employs in the region of 100 staff, making a significant contribution to the surrounding economy. 50% of our workforce is of graduate status or above and our senior managers are respected names within the industries they represent. The original enterprise generated some a few hundred pounds sterling per annum and now Wickham Laboratories is a multi-million pound operation. Wickham Laboratories' priority is to continue to build on the foundations laid down some forty plus years ago and we firmly believe that it is our employees who will take the success of our business into the future. To ensure the advancement of our growth we focus on modern technologies and continued expansion. As part of the future and augmentation of Wickham Laboratories, a brand new facility is being designed and will be purpose built to facilitate our developments as a company.
Throughout our history, we have always recognised the importance of understanding the clients' requirements, providing fast turnaround for both routine testing and projects, as well as being price competitive. Today, there are many more competitor companies than when Wickham Laboratories was founded, but it is customer relationship that sets us apart. Whether we are dealing with a start up food company selling at their local farmer's market, or a blue chip pharmaceutical client, we always aim to ensure that the customer is fully in touch with progress and where required, that results are explained in detail, in a language that they are comfortable with.