Milwaukee-based Accelerated Analytical Inc. plans to expand its lab space on the far northwest side of the city and nearly double its staffing to meet the demands of two new contracts.
Accelerated Analytical provides microbiology and analytical chemistry testing for a variety of industries including food and pharmaceutical. David Metzger, Accelerated Analytical president and chief executive officer, said the company’s main function is to provide companies with solid, defensible results for compliance testing.
“Those that don’t have the resources in their own facility, they would generally outsource to us,” he said.
The company currently occupies 19,000 square feet in a multi-tenant facility at 9075 W. Heather Ave. There are 25 employees between Accelerated Analytical and a second company, Accelerated University, which helps businesses learn about regulations and provide young professionals with an understanding of how to be an effective industrial scientist.
Metzger said the plan is to occupy an additional 6,500 square feet of unrented space in the building early next year to expand its operations.
The growth is being driven by two new contracts. Most of the space will be occupied by a tappi conditioned physical testing laboratory space that will be environmentally controlled for temperature and humidity within one degree all year long.
Metzger said Accelerated Analytical will be functioning in a research and development capacity to accommodate testing on paper products for a consumer product manufacturer.
“That’s an entirely different realm, an entirely different set of tests that we would do,” he said of the physical testing.
To support the work, Metzger is planning to add about 20 positions to his staff, noting the testing requires a different skill-set from those the company currently has. He said the positions will be high paying jobs requiring bachelors or masters degrees and experience in the paper or textile industries.
Additional space will go to drug discovery work the company has won with what Metzger described as a top 10 pharmaceutical company.
The plan is to have the new conditioned lab installed by mid-February with equipment arriving about the same time. If all goes according to plan the company will be in full production by mid- to late-March.
