RB to unveil more details on £100m investment plan
GLOBAL consumer health and hygiene company RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) will reveal further details of its £100m Centre for Scientific Excellence today.
The plans for the project, which was first announced in July, include architect’s designs and a scale model of the completed project. They will be unveiled at its Dansom Lane site in Hull this morning.
The R&D facility, which is the largest single investment in the company’s history, will create a range of top research positions destined to attract global scientific talent to East Yorkshire and provide opportunities for science graduates currently in short supply across the region.
Supported by a £6m grant from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, it will safeguard RB Hull employees and create new jobs during the construction phase. It is expected to be operational in 2018.
RB senior vice president for global R&D, Sharon James, who will unveil the plans, said: “We have a long history of product development in Hull; it is a strategically important site for us.
“The Centre for Scientific Excellence takes our commitment to a new level, reconfirming the relevance of Hull to our global R&D operations. As RB continues to grow in consumer health, providing safe and effective over-the-counter products that allow consumers to better manage their own treatment and wellbeing, state-of-the-art R&D facilities are essential for us to deliver consumer-preferred innovations to support our growth.”
The completed building will stand three storeys high, housing new state-of-the-art pilot facilities and laboratories and will add to the site’s product stability testing capabilities which are already some of the largest in Europe.
James added: “The Centre for Scientific Excellence will complement our other major R&D centres in Germany, Italy, India, Thailand and USA, as well as our network of small local development teams in 28 countries around the world We believe it will have far-reaching and positive impacts for both RB and for the wider Humber economy.”
RB has operations in more than 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries. The company employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide.
Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global brands including Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Durex, Scholl, Dettol, Veet, Finish, Vanish and Air Wick.
