Chemical company praised for £27m Hull investment

Bosses said the investment is in line with the group’s strategy of investing in faster growth markets and make it easier to satisfy growing demand for its renowned polymer additives.

Hull City Council has welcomed the investment with Councillor Martin Mancey, Portfolio Holder for Energy City, saying: “We are delighted that another global company is strengthening its presence in Hull and investing further.

“By boosting production on its Hull site Croda is safeguarding local jobs and demonstrating its commitment to the city and the UK.

“The Council’s inward investment team has been working closely with Croda to support this major investment through the Green Port Growth programme and a package of support is being delivered to support training, skills and research and development.”

The investment will not only secure existing jobs, but create further ones for the local economy during the construction phase, which is central to the delivery of our current and future aspirations of the city.

The Hull site is one of three polymer additive manufacturing plants in Croda, with the others located in Holland and China. Work on the plant extension will start shortly and the new capacity will come on stream in late 2018.

Steve Foots, Croda chief executive, said: “Croda is an international business and one that is proud of its Yorkshire heritage. Today’s announcement underlines our commitment to the UK economy and a strong desire to invest in the best of British. Furthermore, it is aligned with the Government’s initiative to increase investment in science and innovation and boost exports from the UK.

“The project will combine cutting edge technology with optimised production and process efficiencies ensuring that Croda can continue to supply the highest performing and most innovative products to our customers across the world.”

Stuart Arnott, president operations at Croda said the investment would benefit the whole supply chain.