Companies snap up space at The Wilton Centre
July 2011
Steve Duffield, Accommodation Manager of The Wilton Centre, the 75 acre business and science park between Middlesbrough and Redcar
A leading North East business and science park is proving to be a popular location with a range of new tenants signing up in the past few months.
Since the start of the year a dozen companies large and small have decided to make the 75-acre Wilton Centre site between Middlesbrough and Redcar their new home.
Amongst the new arrivals is family-run Inspection UK Ltd, which offers a broad spectrum of inspection services and equipment rental ranging from miniature ultrasonic probes for the inspection of corroded pipe-work to the mapping of expansive oil storage tank sludge deposits, using phased array technology.
Director Martin White, who has more than 35 years experience in the industry, said the main advantage of being based at The Wilton Centre was their close proximity to companies that could benefit from their expertise and innovations. “We are geared up and ready to serve both petro chemical and green energy sectors,” he explained.
“In the coming months, Inspection UK will be hosting exhibitions, using the centre’s great facilities, to introduce the latest innovations and advances within the industry and hope that fellow residents of the science park will come along.”
Aberdeen-based process technology company Gas2 Ltd has established a laboratory presence at the centre to develop new technology in the Gas to Liquids (GTL) arena, in which natural gas is converted into clean hydrocarbon liquids for domestic and industrial use.
Mike Fleming, Managing Director of Gas2, said: "We looked at other possible sites in the UK and Europe but The Wilton Centre was clearly the centre of choice for us due to the quality of facilities available and its track record in supporting operations of this nature."
The other new tenants include a specialist technical consulting service that assists clients such as Shell, BP,Rolls-Royce and Airbus; a business developing advanced water decontamination systems for use in industry; a specialist in the nanomaterials sector which has developed advanced disruptive dispersion technology and the new office for the UK’s leading independent control systems integrator which has customers in some of the most demanding industries and environments around the world including nuclear power, renewable energy, chemical and pharmaceuticals and oil and gas.
They have been joined by a business specialising in the production and distribution of biofuels within the European Union; a company developing a new generation of polymers derived from sustainable resources; a recently-established project management, training, consultancy, and general business support services company; a business specialising in the production of Acetone, Butanol and Hydrogen (ABH) from sustainable raw materials producing chemicals used in every aspect of modern life; a company that is at the forefront of the gas detection market and one specialising in the bulk container transport of non-hazardous liquids, such as wine, Latex and glycols.
The Wilton Centre’s Accommodation Manager Steve Duffield says that the broad spectrum of skills offered by tenants helps to make it a very desirable location.
“We have very attractive packages for companies looking for high quality office accommodation as well as specialist premises that are well serviced with technical space and support if required at extremely competitive rates,” he added.
“The diversity of businesses based here also offers other benefits as tenants are increasingly connecting with each other due to their close proximity either to source new business by offering their expertise and innovations or to place orders.”
The centre has also recently opened the Innovation Accelerator, a £2.3M specialist facility to support new and emerging businesses in the process industry.