A major international firm has been unveiled as the first occupier in the western extension of a key business park.
Multi-brand company Fortune Brands Innovations is building a 270,000 sq ft tech-enhanced facility at the i54 South Staffordshire park to support the group’s luxury ceramics and brassware brands within the kitchen and bathroom industry.
The new state-of-the-art manufacturing centre of excellence is due to be operational as the company’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters by the end of the year and will include a customer experience centre and training facility.
The investment is expected to bring 250 permanent jobs to the area over the first year of operation including training opportunities for apprentices and graduates.
Steve Geary, General Manager of Chicago-based Fortune Brands Innovations, said: “This investment reflects our continued commitment to the luxury ceramics and brassware sectors and we are hugely excited about the project.
“This new facility will allow us to both better service our customers and facilitate future growth.”
The current i54 business park, developed by City of Wolverhampton Council, Staffordshire County Council and South Staffordshire Council, is occupied by multi-national businesses including Jaguar Land Rover, Moog, ISP and Eurofins.
Daily Focus reported in March that development work on the site was to get underway, including the 60-acre western extension.
Following investment of more than £1 billion, the park hosts a workforce of around 2,700 people, with half of the jobs held by people living within a 10-mile radius.
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said: “Fortune Brands Innovations’ arrival at the i54 South Staffordshire western extension is fantastic news for our county and Wolverhampton.
“As the first business on the western extension site this is a real milestone and testament to the continued strong partnership between the county council, City of Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire councils and our success in attracting investment and jobs to our area.”
He added: “There is a great deal of interest in the remaining plots so we anticipate further announcements soon.
“This will create a range of employment opportunities and skills development – which is demonstrating the delivery on our long-term economic plan.
“We look forward to the company becoming fully operational and welcome them to i54 South Staffordshire.”
The remaining 25 acres of the i54 western extension is available to an end user for advanced manufacturing, technology, training and innovation.
Focus say…..
“The investment is expected to bring 250 permanent jobs to the area over the first year of operation including training opportunities for apprentices and graduates”
Will there be opportunities for highly skilled, and highly educated older people??????