Alan Gibson- Biofilm Limited

The Company
Biofilm Ltd develop and manufacture fast dissolving films for use in food, cosmetic and medical device industries. The company employs around 25 people and is headquartered in Blantyre near Glasgow, where all R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations are based. Working on a business to business basis, our products are manufactured to the requirements of the medical device standard ISO 13485:2003 and cGMP (current good manufacturing practice).

Biofilm and Club 21
Biofilm has utilized the services of Club 21 over several years to produce a short list of high quality students to fill vacation placements. The service offered by the University of Glasgow Careers Service has always delivered motivated and focused candidates who have had a sound technical grounding and are interested in putting their skills to use in a commercial environment. The scheme simplifies the recruitment process, reducing the amount of candidate screening that is required, making the whole process less time consuming.

Working as part of a small project team, placement students have been involved in all aspects of product development work, including batch formulation, prototype manufacture, scale-up from lab to full size manufacture and product testing. The work requires a ‘hands on’ attitude and all have made a significant contribution to the department during their period of employment and have been encouraged to take as much responsibility as possible.

Student Benefits
Industrial placements give an important insight into the workings of commercial business and the real world choices and compromises that have to be made throughout a product’s life cycle. Academic concepts can be applied to live situations, and the importance of accurate record keeping and team work reinforced. The placement scheme gives students a taste of working life in their chosen area of study before having to fully commit to a career path and this experience can be important in shaping future decisions.