Swedish medical technology manufacturer Getinge has revealed plans to establish a new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry and UK headquarters at St. Modwen Park Derby. Within the facility, the MedTech company will bring together its chemistry and instrument decontamination business, as well as its UK sales offices, service functions and logistics operations.
Getinge, which acquired Derby-based Quadralene in 2020, will be operational within the state-of-the-art, sustainable 78,000 sq ft building in August 2023.
The site will also feature Getinge’s new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry – a department focused on chemistry and instrument disinfection which is led by a dedicated research and development team. Complete with microbiologists and full-time chemists, the centre aims to create new products and solutions for the healthcare industry.
A new training academy will also form part of the new headquarters, allowing the company to supplement the current expertise of its specialist workforce with the brightest young talent available in the region.
Finally, a dedicated showroom will also be installed to allow Getinge to showcase the wide variety of products across its portfolio – from operating tables and ventilators through to the decontamination products it supplies globally across the medical industry.
Following support from Derby City Council and Marketing Derby, Getinge becomes the first global MedTech company to move into St. Modwen Park Derby following a £46.5m investment by St. Modwen Logistics to regenerate 67 acres of brownfield land and initially develop four high-quality warehouse spaces totalling more than 300,000 sq ft.
As with all the buildings on the first phase of the Park, Getinge’s new headquarters has been rated as ‘Excellent’ by BREEAM – the certification body for sustainable construction – and comes complete with an EPC A rating to demonstrate the building’s energy efficiency.
“By relocating to this new, larger facility we continue to execute on our strategic ambition to widen our Infection Control portfolio towards consumables, developed and manufactured inhouse, which will make our financial performance more robust and sustainable,” says Bob Newsome, Managing Director, Centre of Excellence Chemistry at Getinge.
“We are very excited about this opportunity and believe this merger of all our facilities in the UK will greatly benefit our business as well as our customers,” says Avril Forde, president North Europe Region at Getinge. “At the new site we will also incorporate our training academy and a showroom to display our detergents and disinfectants as well as other solutions from the Getinge portfolio.”
Robert Richardson, development director, St. Modwen Logistics, added: “This deal has been a real triumph for teamwork and relationships. St. Modwen Logistics has been working with Bob and his team for more than three years to understand the businesses needs of Getinge to ensure that we developed the type of versatile building necessary to support their operations. We are thrilled to finally be able to welcome another great manufacturer into St. Modwen Park Derby.
“This deal would also not have been possible were it not for the support received by Marketing Derby and Derby City Council and we must also express our gratitude and thanks to them for their efforts.”
Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council, added: “This is another brilliant piece of news for Derby. Within the space of two weeks we’ve been able to announce investment from not one but two industry leaders who have chosen to put down roots at St Modwen Park Derby.
“Getinge is an internationally recognised industry leader, serving hospitals and life science institutions across the world and we’re thrilled that they have chosen to invest into our city, creating more jobs, providing a boost to our economy and continuing to put Derby on the map as prime location for investment.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Getinge to Derby.”
John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is a really important investment that delivers genuine growth in a long-standing local company, as well as significant international investment in Derby.
“We first met with the Getinge team at our London Embassy in 2021 and have been working closely with our colleagues at the city council, as well as St. Modwen Logistics and Innes England, to land this.
“Getinge is a £2.5 billion turnover MedTech company, which we believe will thrive in Derby and bring significant benefits to the city.”
Derby-based Innes England is marketing the site alongside the Birmingham office of Savills. Nick Hosking, director, Innes England, said: “Take-up within Derby’s industrial sector has reached a record high over the last 12 months, with St Modwen’s delivery of 300,000 sq ft of new build Grade A supply in the first phase at SMPD helping to satisfy pent-up demand from within the local market. Attracting Getinge to the scheme is great news for Derby, enabling their continued expansion and securing hi-tech jobs within the city.”
The substantial fit-out of the unit is being managed by Jonathan Heath of Derby-based Armsons Barlow and is due to complete in August 2023.
