This Is Tees Valley This Is Tees Valley - Issue 1 2020 | Page 53

WILTON
WONDER
Connections - Wilton Centre is part of the
UK's largest science park network.
T
Tees Valley’s centre of business and science
he Wilton Centre occupies a unique
position in the Tees Valley, and
we’re not just talking in terms of
geography.
Yes, you’ll find it nestled between two
Teesside delights - the might of the Eston
Hills and the stretch of coast at Redcar flank
it at either side – and it sits handily on one of
the main arterial routes through the region.
The views driving in and driving out are a
talking point, certainly, but the 75-acre site
has much, much more to it than that.
The complex, which bills itself as "the
home of business and science on Teesside",
manages to be all things to all people and
serves the needs of an ever-growing cluster
of companies from multinationals to
business start-ups.
Chemical processing giant SABIC calls
it home, as does technology innovator CPI;
international electrical safety providers The
Faraday Training Group are based at Wilton
Centre, as are a whole host of engineering,
research, development and science-based
industries.
IT, financial services and logistics
companies are also based there.
In short, the red brick complex can
provide whatever its tenants need, whether it
be lab space for research and development, a
suite of offices with super-fast IT capability
or a tiny corner for hot desking, safety
and site security systems right down
to landscaped grounds, plenty of easy
parking, a restaurant and a very well-
equipped on site gym.
You might wonder why it is where it
is - just ask any Teessider and the answer
will be ready. The centre was built to be
the vast HQ, office complex and support
network of chemical giant ICI.
The company name might have long
since disappeared but the Wilton Centre
remains proud of its history and continues
to thrive in the present and drive the
future, priding itself on being an ideas
facilitator and one of the UK’s largest
science park networks.
“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.”
At 1.7m square feet and with more than
200 businesses, Wilton Centre is part of
the UK’s largest science park network,
going by the name of The Knowledge
Factory.
It has specialist facilities for innovation
companies, research and development
with the aim of helping companies to
thrive without the hassle of real estate.
The businesses on site do their bit for
the community too, hosting all kinds
of activities and socials to support Tees
Valley-based charities and initiatives. Find
that Teessider, ask them again and you’ll
also discover that a community ethos
has always been a strong part of the Tees
Valley’s big, beating heart, just like Wilton.
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 | [e-mail] | 01642 438000
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