UPL has signed a five-year deal with a Polish pharmaceutical company. UPL has signed a five-year deal with a Polish pharmaceutical company that will see the Lancashire-based firm export to eastern Europe for the first time. UPL clinched the contract after being shortlisted from a tendering process that included companies from across Europe. Behind-the-scenes negotiations have been going on for 18 months. The agreement will see UPL supply over-the-counter pharmaceuticals (OTCs) to Polish outfit Unilab, which serves the Polish and other eastern European healthcare markets. It is the first time the Lancashire firm, which specialises in pharmaceuticals and personal care preparations, will export to Poland and comes shortly after the eastern European country was welcomed into the European Union. UPL’s managing director Mike Peters said: “We’re especially delighted to win this contract because Unilab’s products are usually manufactured in the United States. They wanted to bring manufacturing closer to home so we had to fight off competition from a European-wide shortlist of companies to land this deal. “We are looking forward to working with Unilab because they are a similar company to Universal in that they are currently experiencing good growth. They also have an interesting mix of enterprise and ambition which is based on a solid foundation. “When the respective management teams first met it was clear the two companies could work together.” Due to the two managing directors’ hectic diaries, the deal was finally struck in a flying visit to Barcelona. The contract is good news for the 270 staff at the Lancashire factory. Mike Peters added: “This deal gives us a foothold in an important and fast developing region of Europe. I’d like to say to the Polish company ‘welcome to the European Union and welcome to Lancashire!’”