A Tyneside construction firm has been appointed to deliver a ground-breaking factory that will bring hundreds of high tech jobs to the region.
Hebburn's Castle Building Services has been chosen by chip manufacturer PragmatIC Semiconductor. which is set to turn the former Wavin Pipeworks site in Meadowfield, near Durham, into a facility which the firm says will become a "global success story". The location, to be known as PragmatIC Park, not only promises to host the firm's own production but also suppliers and industry-affiliated businesses in the future.
As principal contractor, Castle Building Services is working alongside In Architecture, Kinetic Engineers, Portland Consultancy, BlueKeep Building Control and Northern Engineering Services. Andrew Dawson, managing director at Castle Building Services, said: “After a successful tender process, we have been appointed as principal contractor to deliver the facility at PragmatIC Park.
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“Teamwork will play a big role in this project and we will work alongside a range of high-calibre, North East companies, to install all specialist infrastructure, including renovation works and enhancement to the building structure, to incorporate the clean room and associated laboratories and offices.
“PragmatIC Park is a huge coup for the region. As well as the investment in innovative technology and high-value manufacturing, it will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area, as the North East continues at the forefront of sustainable digital technology.”
PragmatIC makes versatile semiconductor chips that are thinner than a human hair and can be applied to thousands of everyday products and devices, including trackable packaging. The firm already runs a production line at nearby NETPark but needs to expand and recently told Business Live that redeveloping a brownfield site, such as the one at Meadowfield Industrial Estate, will help the firm retain environmental credentials.
Ken Williamson, chief operating officer at PragmatIC Semiconductor, commented: “We are really excited about our new PragmatIC Park site in Durham, which is the ideal location for our second FlexLogIC fab – the first 300mm wafer fab in the UK. We look forward to ramping up production to meet the growing global demand for embedding electronics in everyday objects.”
Castle Building Services employs 134 across offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Teesside and Leeds, and last year recorded £30m turnover.
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