Liverpool city region science and innovation hub has secured Bangkok-based software firm Factorytalk and Belgian AI specialist Tangent Works to its campus. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool city region science and innovation hub, Sci-Tech Daresbury, has secured two international technology firms as new tenants.

Factorytalk, a software and services company based in Bangkok which specialises in Industry 4.0 services for pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Belgium artificial intelligence outfit Tangent Works, have both signed up for space.

Products from Factorytalk include Batchline, a cloud Electronic Batch Record application offering powerful process, quality, and management tools. Interest is also being generated by Tulip, a platform developed at MIT and suitable for simple digital transformation of manufacturing operations.

Tangent Works supplies technology to automate the process of building machine learning models for forecasting and anomaly detection applications. Its information modeller algorithm, known as TIM, uses the mathematical concept of information geometry to build predictive models in seconds.

In April 2020 Tangent Works raised £1.8m through its latest round of funding from Force Over Mass, a London-based VC firm, which has helped support the company’s international expansion.

The two firms will join approximately 150 other research organisations and high-tech businesses at Sci-Tech Daresbury, and both companies will be able to take advantage of the many networking and collaborative business opportunities available on site.

Neil Wetherall, managing director at FactoryTalk UK, said: “Our decision to open a base at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus reflects the wealth of opportunities it provides for both academic and industrial partnerships.

“The campus is internationally-recognised for its broad talent pool and as a central hub for tech support programmes. It is a natural home for a software company like us looking to scale-up.

“Paired with a convenient location in the Liverpool city region and strong transport links to the other key destinations, our new office will provide us with excellent and direct access into the UK market.”

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

John Downes, group chief executive of Langtree and chair of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture company, said: “The campus’ status as a global leader in science and innovation continues to attract businesses from around the globe.

“We are thrilled by the arrival of FactoryTalk and Tangent Works. Their presence on site is representative of our ambition to bring together enterprising young companies to enjoy support and collaboration opportunities.”