Waters Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony today, Friday June 15th, for its new mass spectrometry headquarters planned for completion in 2014.
Situated on the 37-acre Stamford Lodge site on the A538 Altrincham Road, the new facility is intended to unite Waters' existing mass spectrometry operations, consisting of more than 500 employees who are currently located on four separate sites in South Manchester and Altrincham.
Departments at the new headquarters will include: Research & Development, Engineering, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources, with the large majority of staff possessing qualifications at degree level or higher.
Plans for the new facility include state-of-the-art customer demonstration laboratories, advanced research and development capabilities and an expanded manufacturing capacity.
A Copper Beech tree was planted onsite to mark the occasion and George Osborne MP joined Waters for the event and put the ceremonial spade in the ground.
Brian Smith, Vice President of MS Business Operations at Waters Corporation said: "I am very excited that we now have the ability to move our high technology business forward and provide a world class centre for innovation in mass spectrometry. The new Waters MS headquarters will be designed to accelerate the rate of innovation with increased access for the world's scientific thought-leaders. Science is such a major contributor to the history of Manchester and we are honoured to be writing a new chapter in its rich heritage with our custom built headquarters in Wilmslow."
Terry Shortt, Vice President of Global Quality Assurance and MSHQ Project Director at Waters Corporation said: "We remain committed to the sustainability of the project and protecting the local flora and fauna. The building itself will be constructed to the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methods) 'very good' standard. We have also recently completed a purpose built home for the local bat population and will refurbish the sunken garden from the original lodge."
VINCI Construction UK has been selected as the principal contractor for the development. The works entail the design and construction of the new three storey headquarters including, external services, roads, car parks and landscaping.
Speaking at today's ceremony, George Osborne thanked Waters for choosing to invest in Wilmslow and Great Britain.
He said "I am thrilled to be here for two reasons. Firstly, because I am the member of parliament for this area and secondly as Chancellor. Your investment shows confidence in this area I represent and also in this country.
"Manchester was the first industrial city in the entire world. The atom was split in Manchester, the first mass storage computer was built there and this town, Wilmslow, was home to Alan Turing the grandfather of computing who helped to win the second world war. Manchester was also the birth place of mass spectrometry so it is entirely fitting that you are continuing that tradition and continuing the work done in Manchester in this new facility."
The Chancellor added "The kind of work you do and this kind of investment is absolutely what we want to see in this country. We are very proud you chose Wilmslow and Great Britain."
Established in 1958, Waters is now one of largest companies in the analytical science industry, operating in 27 countries. With its corporate headquarters based in Milford, Massachusetts, it currently employees 5,700 people worldwide and generated revenue of US$1.85 billion in 2011.
Waters is honored to continue Manchester's long legacy of mass spectrometry innovation. Starting with John Dalton's Atomic Theory in the early 1800's, Manchester continues to be a global centre for mass spectrometry technology.
Mass Spectrometry is used to identify and quantify chemical components in complex mixtures. It is a very sensitive analytical technique, enabling scientists to confidently measure components or contaminants present at levels well below a millionth of a gram.
It is routinely used to safe-guard our food and water supply, protect the environment, provide medical diagnosis and to develop health-care solutions.
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