Hosokawa is a specialist in development, manufacture and installation of machines for powder and particle processing and it relocating its facility from Preston Brook in Runcorn

International process technology company Hosokawa Micron has opened a new technical innovation centre at leading science and innovation campus Sci-Tech Daresbury.

Hosokawa is a specialist in development, manufacture and installation of machines for powder and particle processing. The company has relocated its centre to a new laboratory at Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Techspace One building, having previously operated from its nearby main site in Preston Brook, Runcorn.

The relocation is part of a strategic move to expand Hosokawa’s testing facility and manufacturing capabilities in the UK. The centre is a purpose-built laboratory and will be used to house the company’s customer and contract manufacturing R&D.

The workspace also incorporates a small office area which will be used as a ‘hot desk’ for sales and technical centre employees.

It offers its customers opportunities to test equipment, processes and systems in a controlled and convenient environment. Its testing facility features a range of Hosokawa and ancillary equipment which can be organised into unified in-line processes to suit the customer’s specific needs.

The firm operates around the world and has offices in Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US. It also has satellite offices in Korea, China, and India. Kathryn Hipkins, technical centre manager, said: “We chose to relocate Hosokawa’s Technical Innovation Centre to Sci-Tech Daresbury as part of a strategic move to increase our contract manufacturing capabilities in the UK.

“Sci-Tech Daresbury is an internationally-recognised location with a strong emphasis on technology innovation and growth and we felt this was a natural fit to base our operations out of the campus.

“We’re now situated within a highly-collaborative business environment and its location offers opportunities to work with academic and industrial partners on the campus and across the wider region.”                  

Sci-Tech Daresbury is a private-public joint-venture partnership between developer Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Halton Council.

Jayne Furnival, group property director of Langtree, added: “Our reputation as a key location where science and innovation businesses can meet their ambitions is increasingly attracting companies from around the world.”