PATRIZIA UK, the managers of Winnersh Triangle, has welcomed new occupier Rockwell Collins, the global high-tech company, to the business park near Reading with the official opening of their new centre of excellence.
The formal launch of the new three-storey base at 730 Wharfedale Road coincides with the 60th anniversary of Rockwell Collins in the UK, and is the culmination of one of the biggest property deals in the Thames Valley region in recent years.
Employees began working at the newly constructed building in November, completing the relocation to Winnersh Triangle from the Rockwell Collin’s previous facility in Reading.
The deal for Rockwell Collin’s new premises won Winnersh Triangle the Commercial Property Deal of the Year at the Thames Valley Property Awards 2015. The pre-let scheme represents an investment of $34 million over the next 15 years in facility-related costs alone.
730 Wharfedale Road features 40,000 square feet of laboratory facilities with research and development space, plus 30,000 square feet of offices. It has been specially designed to host high-value engineering, business development, program management and shared service functions.
Will Lawrie, PATRIZIA asset manager, said: “Welcoming the Rockwell Collins team to Winnersh Triangle is a fantastic moment. The creation of this new centre of excellence here is the culmination of a lot of hard work on all sides.
“We’re delighted to have such a distinguished corporation working at Winnersh Triangle. It shows how our facilities, location, connections and quality of accommodation are attracting top companies willing to invest.”
The arrival of Rockwell Collins is another milestone for Winnersh Triangle which was acquired in July 2013 with funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP and real estate investor PATRIZIA UK Ltd.
Colin Mahoney, senior vice president, International & Service Solutions for Rockwell Collins, said: “The opening of this brand new facility in conjunction with celebrating our 60th anniversary is a demonstration of our continuous investment in the UK.
“From this new centre of excellence, we’ll respond to customer demand by bringing to the market innovative capabilities in areas such as satellite navigation and networking.”
With three main sites at Winnersh Triangle, Burgess Hill and Crawley, Rockwell Collins currently employs over 480 people in the UK with exports representing over 75 percent of its revenues.
Since 1955, Rockwell Collins has expanded its presence in the UK to provide a comprehensive range of aviation electronics, communications, and simulation and training solutions to governments, aircraft manufacturers and OEMs in the United Kingdom, Europe and around the world.
