iconsys looks to the future with new HQ

The automation specialist has purchased a 17,500 sq ft site in the business park, which will act as both a manufacturing hub and a future-proofed office for agile working. Backed by a £150,000 grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Marches Building Investment Grant Scheme, the new building will also feature a technology demonstration and training area, an amphitheatre and a work café.

Engineering SMEs come to the rescue

“Our new headquarters will be a central business core, giving staff a truly smart building that offers hot-desking, an inviting tech-enabled work café, agile working and a virtual reality area where we can showcase the latest in technology,” said Nick Darrall, managing director of iconsys.

“We will be incorporating the latest collaborative cloud-based infrastructure software to create an advanced, suitable and well-connected workforce, whereby employees are able to work either in the office or remotely with equal efficacy.

“Outside the facility, solar panels will contribute to our energy requirements and there will be electric vehicle charging points to support sustainable transport. A large part of our 3.8 acre site is made up of mature woodland, which we will look to conserve and nurture to help offset carbon emissions and sustain wildlife.”

According to iconsys, the move to the new HQ will create ten highly skilled jobs and is part of the company’s 2020+ growth strategy, which aims to increase turnover to £20m in five years by encouraging industry to adopt automation and digital technology.

“Manufacturers in the UK are increasingly switching on to the benefits of automation to improve their performance and profitability and that is resulting in a number of exciting new opportunities for us,” Darrall continued. “In order to cope with demand, we decided now was the right time to create a world-class facility that will give us the platform to meet our current and future needs.

“We’ve appointed Forster Tullett as the main contractor and are working with Base Architecture and workspace design agency iDEA to make our vision a reality. We expect to be in the building and fully operational by April 2021.”