LifeScan Scotland

LifeScan Scotland Ltd is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. Founded and based in Inverness, it is one of the largest private employers in this beautiful part of Scotland which develops and produces monitoring products that improve on a global basis the lives of people with diabetes.

It is fast growing and with over 1200 employees is actively recruiting the best and the brightest people to join it in the heart of the Highlands. 

LifeScan Scotland Limited, previously known as Inverness Medical, was purchased by Johnson & Johnson in 2001.

Employing over 1200 highly skilled professionals from over 30 nationalities, the Inverness facility develops and manufactures products for people with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose levels and is expected to significantly increase its 2005 production output of billions of uniquely developed test strips used in these products.

It is widely regarded as a centre of excellence for those working in the field of diabetes and it is no coincidence that Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's leading healthcare companies, has relocated some of its top research and development professionals to this part of the UK.

World Leading Products

LifeScan Scotland's main product range includes the phenomenally successful OneTouch® range of blood glucose monitoring meters, created to improve on a global basis the lives of people with diabetes.

They have also developed diabetes management software, control solutions and lancing devices. They also produce the specialist test strips to work with a whole range of meters.

"We have around 150 people involved in the research and development of products and processes here. We've allocated around £80 million to the development of our facility in the last three years to expand capacity and new products, which gives you a sense of the kind of long term investment we're making," said Mike Crowe.

Relocation Benefits

As a Johnson & Johnson business, LifeScan Scotland has links around the globe. Mike Crowe came to Britain from the US around six years ago, relocating to Inverness in 2001. Since that time scientists, engineers, technicians and operations specialists from all over the world have moved to the area.

Mike Crowe has a positive and personal take on relocation in Inverness: "The people here are very warm, they're very friendly, very inviting – it is like a small town. As someone new coming in it was very easy to connect with people and make friends and I felt like I was part of the community right away – that's the thing that strikes me the most about the people here in Inverness."

Relocation is not the only way LifeScan Scotland is bringing new faces to the Inverness facility. The company is currently working on a graduate programme, offering opportunities to gain experience through involvement in different aspects of the business in order to learn and understand the broader picture. 

The programme also recognises and develops the graduates' strengths more quickly. The company is also looking outside of the traditional graduate programme to less conventional projects such as internships, summer placements and links with colleges and universities across the UK as longer-term strategies to recruit the best people.

Thought Leaders

Recruitment continues at a rapid pace with a demand for engineers and scientists across a range of disciplines, as Mike Crowe explains:

"Getting the right technical talent has been very critical to our success and we're still recruiting within this area. What attracts a lot of people to work here is the fact that we have world-class products and a wealth of development opportunities. 

"They are the thought leaders in some of these key areas of technology research and in turn those types of people attract others here. We try to create an environment where ideas can be developed where they can gain investment and support to become products which get onto our product pipeline, and this ultimately helps people with diabetes."

The culture of successful growth in Inverness is evident outside the company too – like local football team Inverness Caledonian Thistle winning the first division title and moving to the premier league.

Appropriately, you'll find LifeScan Scotland's best-selling product – OneTouch – is proudly displayed across their jerseys. LifeScan contributes to the cultural diversity of the area through sponsorship of the local theatre at Eden Court as well as the funding of an Academic Chair at the University of the Highlands and Islands. 

"We see ourselves as offering first class opportunities for those who want to develop their lives in both a professional and personal sense. Ultimately we are developing products that help create a world without limits for people with diabetes," said Mike Crowe.

Case study:Jan 2006

More Information

• Find out more about LifeScan Scotland
• Look at jobs with LifeScan Scotland
• Working for LifeScan – the story of an American in Scotland
• Read about Polish employee Tomasz Bernhard