The new building represents a significant investment by the company following the securing of a NatWest/RBS Manufacturing Fund. It will also ensure shorter lead times for the Stomacher sample preparation products for microbiological analyses and tissue processing, the company said.
The premises also house a purpose-built r&d laboratory for product development, application assessment and customer protocol development.
Further investment in web conferencing facilities will also allow training webinars and in-depth technical support to be offered to customers, wherever they are located.
The new premises support a much-needed increase in production capacity, driven by new applications and the opening of Seward Inc in Long Island, New York, US in 2009.
In the first half of 2010, sales of the Stomacher laboratory blenders grew by nearly 20%, compared with the same period in 2009. Sales of the Stomacher 80 biomaster range for small tissue processing increased by 53%, while the large volume Stomacher 3500 saw a 72% growth.
‘We are dedicated to maintaining excellence in our products, customer service and support for our rapidly growing global customer base, so the increased size and capacity of our new premises ensures we can guarantee this now and in the future,’ said Stuart Ray, technical director, Seward Ltd.
He added that the firm had also seen strong growth in the US and Asia/Pacific regions.
