Major investment revealed at Annual Business Event

A Swedish medical technology manufacturer has become the latest international business to announce it is investing in Derby.

At Marketing Derby’s Annual Business Event, which was held at Derby Theatre on Friday, Paul Simpson, chief executive of Derby City Council, revealed to the audience of more than 400 people that Getinge had agreed to establish a new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry and UK headquarters at St. Modwen Park Derby, a brand-new business park being created by St. Modwen Logistics.

Getinge becomes the second major international manufacturer to select St. Modwen Park Derby in the matter of weeks, coming hot on the heels of heating technology specialist Vaillant announcing it had signed a deal for a unit at the site.

City council leader Councillor Chris Poulter said: “This is another brilliant piece of news for Derby. Within the space of two weeks we’ve been able to announce investment from not one but two industry leaders who have chosen to put down roots at St. Modwen Park Derby.

“Getinge is an internationally recognised industry leader, serving hospitals and life science institutions across the world and we’re thrilled that they have chosen to invest into our city, creating more jobs, providing a boost to our economy and continuing to put Derby on the map as prime location for investment.”

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is a really important investment that delivers genuine growth in a long-standing local company, as well as significant international investment in Derby. Getinge is a £2.5 billion turnover MedTech company, which we believe will thrive in Derby and bring significant benefits to the city.”

Getinge, which acquired Derby-based Quadralene in 2020, has signed a deal for a 78,000 sq ft unit, which will allow the company to bring its factory, office and laboratory functions all under one roof.

The site, which is due to open in August, will feature Getinge’s new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry – a department focused on chemistry and instrument disinfection, which is led by a dedicated research and development team.

Complete with microbiologists and full-time chemists, the centre aims to create new products and solutions for the healthcare industry.

A new training academy will also form part of the new headquarters, allowing the company to supplement the current expertise of its specialist workforce with the brightest young talent available in the region.

Finally, a dedicated showroom will also be installed to allow Getinge to showcase the wide variety of products across its portfolio – from operating tables and ventilators through to the decontamination products it supplies globally across the medical industry.

Bob Newsome, managing director of the Centre of Excellence for Chemistry at Getinge, said: “By relocating to this new, larger facility we continue to execute on our strategic ambition to widen our infection control portfolio towards consumables, developed and manufactured in-house, which will make our financial performance more robust and sustainable.”

Avril Forde, president for the North Europe Region at Getinge, said: “We are very excited about this opportunity and believe this merger of all our facilities in the UK will greatly benefit our business, as well as our customers.

“At the new site we will also incorporate our training academy and a showroom to display our detergents and disinfectants, as well as other solutions from the Getinge portfolio.”

St. Modwen Park is being created following a £46.5 million investment by St. Modwen Logistics to regenerate 67 acres of brownfield land and initially develop four high-quality warehouse spaces, totalling more than 300,000 sq ft.

Robert Richardson, development director at St. Modwen Logistics, said: “This deal has been a real triumph for teamwork and relationships.

“St. Modwen Logistics has been working with Bob and his team for more than three years to understand the needs of businesses such as Getinge to ensure that we are developing the type of versatile buildings necessary to support their operations.

“We are thrilled to finally be able to welcome another great manufacturer into St. Modwen Park Derby.

“This deal would not have been possible were it not for the support received by Marketing Derby and Derby City Council and we must also express our gratitude and thanks to them for their efforts.”

Mr Forkin said: “We first met with the Getinge team at our London Embassy in 2021 and have been working closely with our colleagues at the city council, as well as St. Modwen Logistics and Innes England, to land this.”

Nick Hosking, director of Innes England, which is marketing St. Modwen Park Derby alongside Savills, said: “Take-up within Derby’s industrial sector has reached a record high over the last 12 months, with St. Modwen’s delivery of 300,000 sq ft of new build Grade A supply in the first phase at St. Modwen Park Derby helping to satisfy pent-up demand from within the local market.

“Attracting Getinge to the scheme is great news for Derby, enabling their continued expansion and securing hi-tech jobs within the city.”

The substantial fit-out of the unit is being managed by Jonathan Heath, of Armsons Barlow – and is due to be completed by August.