18 | Tees Business
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 19
Innovation, excellence and easy-to-access
facilities at world-class Wilton Centre
F
irst class facilities in an accessible
location at the heart of the North East’s
industrial landscape have earned the
Wilton Centre a world-class reputation.
Over 60 companies, including a number of
prestigious multinationals, are located in the
spacious science and business park, which is
set in a 75-acre landscaped park with its own
lake and courtyards.
Providing laboratory and pilot
plant accommodation and scale up
accommodation at competitive rental terms
with immediate occupancy has enabled
the Wilton Centre to develop as a highly
respected and sought after research and
technology facility.
Leading-edge support
Site director Steve Duffield says that the
Centre’s reputation is built on over 40 years
of accommodating leading-edge businesses.
“We have been proudly supporting some
of the world’s leading science businesses
since the mid-1970s which has required us
to adapt to meet the evolving requirements
of tenants who are of ten pushing the
boundaries of scientific innovation,” he said.
“In addition we provide high quality office
space to complement the technical facilities.
This also attracts and supports businesses
that are allied to the process industry and
which want to be located close to their
market.”
Abundant free parking and other benefits
Ongoing investment has enabled the
Wilton Centre to extend the facilities it offers
to tenants including a high end membersonly gym for tenants and a lakeside
restaurant, café and well-equipped and
contemporary meeting rooms.
Steve continued: “Something that benefits
all of our tenants is the accessibility of the
Centre.
“Not only are we a fantastic location that is
close to all major road and rail networks, we
have 1,600 free car parking spaces available
for anyone who works here or is visiting,
which can save businesses a lot of unseen
time and money.
“Our offer of first-class facilities in an
established location with a prestigious
reputation on competitive terms with
abundant free parking is one we believe is
very hard to match.”
Wilton Centre’s spacious complex is set in a 75-acre
landscaped park with its own lake and courtyards.
High Force Research expands
into new Wilton Centre lab
L
eading chemical research and
development company High Force
Research has opened a new 1,018 sq ft
laboratory at the Wilton Centre.
The new fully equipped laboratory features
six chemical fume cupboards and advanced
research facilities custom designed for
chemical development and allows the
company scope for future expansion as its
facility at Bowburn is at full capacity.
Founded nearly three decades ago in 1988,
Durham-based High Force Research is one
of the UK’s longest established chemical
research companies.
High Force Research’s Dr Roy Valentine
said: “We will be staffed from day one with
full time chemists based on site, two of
whom are newly qualified PhD students from
Newcastle University.
“We are hoping to recruit more chemists
in the near future to help with our expansion
plans at Wilton Centre.
“The location is great with excellent
facilities designed for chemical research
companies including plentiful parking, a
restaurant, gym and open parkland.”
Neil Sim in High Force Research’s new Wilton
Centre laboratory
He continued: “With around 90 research
oriented businesses onsite we feel that the
location also provides us with increased
networking and collaboration possibilities.”
Wilton Centre’s site director, Steve
Duffield, said that it was good news to be
welcoming such a prestigious new tenant to
the Centre.
“We are very proud that the company has
chosen to expand its operations here,” he
added.
Takeover makes Wilton Centre’s
GMT a global player
The Wilton Centre has a world-class
reputation for its innovative facilities.
(L-R), LR GMT’s operations
director, Andrew McEwen,
laboratory director, Paul
Livingston and MD Andrew
Shaw
T
Over 60 companies, including a number of prestigious
multinationals, are located in the spacious science and
Business Park, which is set in a 75 acre landscaped park
with its own lake and courtyards.
Further information: www.wiltoncentre.com
he award-winning Wilton Centrebased fuel testing company, Guardian
Marine Testing (GMT), is looking
forward to an exciting future as a
global business following its acquisition by
Lloyd’s Register.
GMT, which specialises in the
management of marine fuel quantity and
quality, was acquired by Lloyd’s Register in a
deal agreed in March 2015.
Now re-named as Lloyd’s Register GMT
Ltd (LR GMT), the business has grown to 56
staff with access to 238 offices around the
world.
As part of the buy-out deal the original
management team was retained and tasked
with running the newly joined-up operations
from Wilton Centre, where it has been based
since its outset.
Andrew Shaw, formerly GMT’s MD and
now MD of LR GMT, said that the deal is
great news for the company which was set
Wilton Centre
chosen as
location for
world-first
process plant
up in 2007 with three
employees and has
expanded ever since.
He said: “We started
out with me and my fellow
directors, Paul Livingston
and Andrew McEwen, and
then grew to 12 staff by
2011.
“After doing a deal to service the
requirement of Lloyd’s Register (LR) fuel
testing that year, our work increased by
200% and we grew the staff to 36 overnight.
“The main significance of becoming part
of LR is the fact we have the security of a
large corporation and, whilst our strength
previously was very much on a European
basis, we now have business in all four
corners of the globe.”
Andrew added: “Our new set-up means
that we are now in a position to deliver the
world’s best marine testing service with
an assured backup financially for any future
plans for growth.”
Lloyd’s Register (LR) is a global
engineering, technical and business services
organisation with over 9,000 employees in
78 countries, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s
Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated
to research and education in science and
engineering.
Calysta’s new feed is aimed at the growing
worldwide salmon-farming industry
A
multi-million pound new plant is
being built at the Wilton Centre by
a leading US biotech business.
Calysta (UK), a subsidiary of Californiabased Calysta Inc, is investing £30m over
10 years to develop a Market Introduction
Facility to undertake R&D critical to a
commercialise a new fish feed ingredient.
FeedKind, a natural, safe, non-GMO
sustainable fish feed ingredient that is
approved for sale in the EU, is designed
to replace fishmeal and is aimed at the
global salmon-farming industry which is
expected to grow by 50% by 2020.
Alan Shaw, PhD, Calysta president and
CEO, is a former Teessider who once
worked at ICI.
He said: “After looking at potential
sites around Europe, we look forward to
building Calysta’s first plant on Teesside
and are keen to capitalise on the area’s
commercial attractiveness, technical skills
and research and development expertise.”
Manufactured using a natural process
similar to the production of yeast-extract
produc ts, such as Marmite, studies have
confirmed the nutritional value of the feed
which will allow the industry to reduce
its impact on the environment and on
wild fisheries, while offering consumers a
more sustainable product.
The project is being supported by
a conditional award of up to £2.8m
Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eGRF)
grant.
Calysta plans to locate a novel loop
reactor adjacent to CPI’s existing National
Industrial Biotechnology Facility 2 (NIBF2)
facility. This loop reactor will incorporate
Calysta’s proprietary, best-in-class gas
fermentation technology.