2 minute read - 28th October 2024
HR Smith to invest £6m in new advanced manufacturing centre
A new £6m advanced manufacturing centre is to be built in Herefordshire by Techtest, part of the HR Smith Group, creating up to 50 new jobs.
Techtest specialises in the design and manufacture of search and rescue equipment, antennas and beacons for the aerospace industry.
It will be the third expansion at Rotherwas by the HR Smith Group, bringing the group’s total investment in the Enterprise Zone to £11m. Collins Design & Build has been appointed to develop the 31,000 sq ft centre on Skylon Park.
The building will house a new advanced manufacturing centre, with machine shops and a small apprentice school, as well as an advanced components facility. The new facility is expected to enhance Techtest’s capacity to develop and manufacture its aerospace search and rescue equipment, such as distress beacons used by pilots and crew to alert the authorities in emergency situations.
HR Smith Group is investing £6m in a new advanced manufacturing centre for Techtest in Herefordshire – currently being developed by Collins Design & Build / Picture: Collins Design and Build
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The HR Smith Group, which currently employs 328 people, has a long-standing history in Herefordshire after relocating to the county over 45 years ago. The company has consistently focused its growth in the region, with operations at Rotherwas and its headquarters in Kingsland, alongside a sales and distribution office in Rockford, Tennessee, USA.
This latest expansion follows two previous successful projects at Skylon Park. The first, completed in 2013/14, saw the construction of a 20,000 sq ft mechanical and electrical aircraft communications and data R&D unit. The second project added another 20,000 sq ft to support further expansion of the company’s testing and certification facilities.
Phil Collins from Collins Design & Build, said: “This is the 45th building we have either constructed or refurbished at Rotherwas. Our programme of work here has seen our company thrive since its inception in 1967, when it was a tractor and agricultural machinery business, before developing into a steel framed construction business in 1973. HR Smith’s requirements here are exciting, and a throw-back to the early 20th century design, commonly known as ‘Northlight Ridge’ buildings with a series of steep and mainly glazed apex panels, facing North, to allow a lot of natural light into building.”
