New HQ to create 20 jobs for Derby manufacturer
Derby-based Pentaxia is set to expand, with more than 20 new jobs in the pipeline, and a move to 70,000 sq ft of new manufacturing and office space later this year.
The family-run, advanced composites manufacturer, which was set up nine years ago, has grown by more than 60 per cent during the past twelve months, following a rapid increase in demand for lightweight, high performance components from its customers in the aerospace, automotive and motorsport industries.
Managing director Stephen Ollier said: “We’ve been very happy at Longbridge Lane and it’s been an exciting journey. We’ve built a strong management team who are keen to expand in order to meet growing demand from our customers.
“We’ve had an offer accepted on a new site on the north side of Derby City, quite close to our current facility, which will provide us with triple our current production space so we can continue our rapid growth. More importantly, the site covers 6 acres, which gives us room to expand even further in the future; possibly doubling the space again. It will also allow us to concentrate all our operations under one roof, significantly improving productivity.
“The National Composites Centre predicts huge growth in this market and if that’s correct, then we will need all this available space in the future. I believe this move places us in prime position to take advantage of these opportunities, which is good news for the company, for UK trade, especially post-Brexit, but most of all for Derby as it will generate a lot of highly skilled jobs in this exciting sector.”
The team is currently recruiting for an experienced composites project engineer, a management accountant and trainee laminators, with more recruitment planned next year.
Planning for the move has already begun, to ensure there is no impact on production, and the firm has invested in two new Italmatic autoclaves, a new clean room and fitting complex for the new site, enabling production to be transferred smoothly and rapidly. Plans also include new machine tools and additional paint facilities.
