The voice of business in the Tees region | 65
THE CENTRE FOR BUSINESS
By Joanne Barrett
T
he home of business and science on
Teesside. That’s how the Wilton Centre
bills itself.
But the 75-acre site, once the Teesside
HQ of chemical giant ICI, is so much more
than that. Way more, in fact.
Just take a look at the list of companies
who have made the complex their home
between the foot of the Eston Hills and the
coastal town of Redcar.
Long and varied, it includes giant
multi-nationals from chemical process
company SABIC to technology innovators
CPI; from international electrical safety
training providers The Faraday Training
Group to a whole host of engineering,
research, development and science-based
industries. IT, financial services and logistics
companies also call the Wilton Centre
home.
And there’s a very good reason.
Its slice of Teesside industrial history is
guaranteed but when it comes to the here
and now, the red brick complex has a lot to
offer.
“We work on the basis that we can look
after a lot of things that many companies
would otherwise have to do themselves,
allowing them to focus on the job,” says
Wilton Centre site director Steve Duffield.
“For instance, we have a reception desk,
fire alarms, safety and site security staff;
if you are a lab company, we have the
systems to help safely dispose of various
waste products, for example.
“Our aim is to offer straightforward
solutions whatever your business needs,
big or small.”
It is a successful recipe, as evidenced by
the many and varied companies that occupy
the site.
“We can offer business space for start-ups
or one-person companies who might need
just 100 feet of floor space up to a full floor or
more,” says Claire Morton, accommodation
manager.
“We have offices, labs and meeting rooms
in our main buildings. We also have large
technical development areas.
“A number of businesses come here and
start off quite small but we have seen them
grow and have been able to help them with
that growth.”
One of them is Lynas Engineering. The
site’s location and home to the North East
Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) has proved
a positive.
“The location has been perfect for us,”
says senior engineer Matt Taylor. “When
we started out there were just two of us
in a small office but we had access to the
meeting rooms and plenty of parking facilities
for visiting clients.
“We are in to our fourth office now since
January 2017 and the Centre has worked with
us to grow. The location means we have also
got involved with other businesses here. For
an SME like us, being here has opened up
markets we wouldn’t have had access to.
“And when we have asked for help, the
Wilton Centre team have always been here.”
• Wilton Centre forms part of a
national network of science
parks. At 1.7 million square
feet and with more than 200
businesses, it is one of the UK’s
largest science park networks
going by the name of The
Knowledge Factory.
• Wilton Centre prides itself on
being an ‘ideas facilitator.’ It has
specialist facilities for innovation
companies, facilities for
research and development with
the aim of helping companies to
thrive without the hassle of real
estate.
• Community? The businesses
at Wilton do their bit - Centre
management recently hosted
a barbecue for occupiers which
raised £3,000 for Normanby
baby hospice Zoe’s Place.
• Technology partner? Broadband
speeds are all important and
a partnership between Wilton
Centre and ITS Technology
Group has ensured ultra-fast
connectivity, thanks to a newly
launched wireless network that
uses the building as its hub.
THE HOME OF BUSINESS
& SCIENCE ON TEESSIDE
• Premier offices
• Lab space
• Meeting facilities
• Easy access and secure premises with
plenty of free parking
• Restaurant, gym & landscaped grounds
Wilton Centre, Redcar, TS10 4RF | [email protected] | 01642 438000