A major new life sciences facility at the University of Birmingham has successfully equipped its laboratories despite significant construction delays, thanks to a coordinated supply and logistics effort led by Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS).
The Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA) is the University of Birmingham’s flagship life sciences innovation facility located at No.1 Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC), a world‑leading hub for health and life sciences research and commercialisation.
Occupying three floors of the first BHIC building, PHTA required a full suite of specialist laboratory equipment for its newly constructed Category 2 wet and dry laboratories. However, the project faced a major logistical challenge: the building completion timeline shifted multiple times, leaving no immediate space to receive or install essential equipment.
As a framework-approved supplier, SLS worked closely with the University of Birmingham procurement team to provide a comprehensive laboratory solution for PHTA. SLS representatives coordinated the supply of 6 Astell autoclaves, 6 Miele glass washers, and 16 Liebherr fridges and freezers, negotiated warranty terms to meet customer needs, and arranged storage of units until the lab space was ready (both at supplier site and at the SLS’s national distribution centre in Nottingham). SLS also managed equipment installation and ensured excellent communication with both the customer and the suppliers.
"Their support gave us complete peace of mind and helped us get our labs fully operational." - Andrew Ellis, Transition Manager, PHTA.
Read the full case study to learn how the project was delivered.