Affinity Group Limited

Facts & Figures

Total staff: 43,000 worldwide, 390 in the UK
Locations: Central London, Hounslow and Heston, Middlesex
Sector: Healthcare
Annual turnover: US$8 billion (£5.6 billion) worldwide; £50m in the UK

Corporate Overview

Quest Diagnostics, with its network of laboratories around the world, is renowned throughout the medical profession and pharmaceutical industry for providing a first class clinical trial and diagnostic testing service for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals, physicians, clinics and corporate health management companies.

Quest Diagnostics is the de facto global leader of clinical laboratory services, with the largest laboratory database in the world, carrying out personal health testing on more than more than half a million patients each day. The company aims to give client companies in US, EU and emerging markets around the world a first-class service, in all diagnostic areas, including more esoteric lines such as genetics and molecular diagnostics.

With central laboratory facilities in North America and Europe and with affiliate laboratories in China, Singapore, Australia, and South America, the company offers services in biochemistry, cytology, endocrinology, flow cytometry, haematology, histology, immunology, microbiology and serology on a local basis for most diagnostic and pharmaceutical clients. In addition, via one of Quest Diagnostics subsidiary companies, Nichols Institute, Quest Diagnostics provides access to virtually every esoteric test known and can also lead the transfer of academic technological innovation to clinical testing

Quest Diagnostics in the UK

Within the UK, Quest Diagnostics has two business units – UK Diagnostics, which provides testing services to private & NHS hospitals, GPs, clinics and occupational health & wellness companies; and the Clinical Trials business unit (part of the Global Clinical Trials business unit) which provides testing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are running clinical trials.

The UK business of Quest was launched in 1996 when Quest Diagnostics, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, was spun out of Corning Incorporated, a much larger company. In 1999 the company acquired SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, and since then it has been the largest provider of diagnostic testing services in the US.

Following successful negotiations Quest Diagnostics assumed responsibility for the provision of Pathology Services to the West Middlesex University Hospital from September 1st 2007.

Quest’s UK operations have tripled in size over the last decade and the company now generates a turnover of £50m a year. The business has not been significantly impacted by the economic downturn because its work supporting sick patients is unaffected.