A booming engineering company has been forced to relocate its regional office to a bigger premises after seeing its workforce grow rapidly in recent years, and is set to create a further 30 jobs in Birmingham.
Autotech, a company that designs, installs, maintains and upgrades electronic control systems, has been based at SEGRO’s Kings Norton Business Centre (KNBC), Birmingham, since 2002 when it employed just four people. Fast forward to 2011 and there are currently 24 team members and an opportunity to hire even more engineers to cope with the demand of the company’s current projects.
The company has moved from a 2,136 sq ft unit in Castle Road, KNBC, to a larger office just a few doors down, which is more than double the previous size at 4,841 sq ft.
Autotech is firmly in the driving seat as the leading supplier of control systems to iconic automotive names such as Jaguar Land Rover and BMW. The company also provides logistics and warehousing services for the likes of Procter and Gamble, Kimberley Clark, Coca Cola and major supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco.
Jane Leedham, leasing manager for SEGRO, said: “We are pleased to be able to provide Autotech with more space for its existing team and to accommodate its growing workforce. As well as investing in the building to create new modern offices for our computerised engineering workstations, we have also installed a robot training facility and specialist 3D software simulation suites.
Nigel Brookes, sales director for Autotech, said: “Our team is constantly expanding so we needed a larger office unit that would give them plenty of space to work in. As well as work stations, we have installed a robot training facility for training purposes and Robcad areas to create 3D simulations.
“We stayed within the KNBC because it is centrally located and within close proximity to the motorway network. We are also very close to Solihull and Castle Bromwich, which is where one of our largest customer, Jaguar Land Rover, is based.”
Autotech’s head office is based in Silsoe near Bedford, which is where the majority of its manufacturing work takes place. Autotech is the largest independent control systems company in the UK and services many industry sectors in addition to automotive including food and beverage, airports and logistics. The company is expected to turnover £15 million this year, compared to £3 million in 2003, after seeing the business grow by 20% year on year. For more information, visit www.autotech.co.uk.
Kings Norton Business Centre is the premier Business Centre in south Birmingham, meeting the business space needs of a diverse range of companies. Located on a 24.3 hectare (60 acre) site, its local management team is able to cater for the needs of the occupiers from its on-site regional office. The estate is maintained on a structured basis providing a first class business and working environment, with tenants benefiting from 24-hour mobile security, CCTV coverage and consequential low crime rates. KNBC’s units are marketed by agents Harris Lamb and DTZ.