Jobs in pipeline as Unison moves to bigger HQ

Machine manufacturing specialist Unison has secured a new site at Thornburgh Road, in Scarborough, which will double the size of its premises.

Unison will move from its current address at the Olympian Trading Estate, in Scarborough, to the new 20,000 sq ft site in April 2013, which will enable the firm to increase its production.

Peter Wilkinson, a non-executive director at Unison, said yesterday: “Unison has experienced tremendous growth recently. We have made a big impression in the US and India, in particular.

“We have an order book to die for, and one reason for the move is that it will enable us to increase production and headcount. We need to accommodate this tremendous influx of new business. It also provides the scope to extend, with additional storage land.”

The 40-year-old company enjoyed a record-breaking January this year, when it matched last year’s turnover in one month. Unison also recently made a £100,000 investment in overseas marketing.

Unison, which also has offices in the US and Germany, is determined to keep its manufacturing base in Scarborough.

Mr Wilkinson added: “We are fiercely proud of our Yorkshire heritage and the reputation for engineering excellence which goes with that. The new premises highlight our commitment to the region.”

The business, which employs 46 staff and has a turnover of around 5m euros (£4m), already supplies tube-bending machines which are used to make parts for Wal-Mart shopping trolleys and Chinook helicopters.

Unison helped to develop the Boeing Dreamliner, which is lighter and more fuel-efficient than other aircraft.

One of the company’s customers, Airbus in Filton, near Bristol, uses six of Unison’s machines to produce bent tubes in the wings of aircraft, including the super jumbo A380.

Jonathan White, a senior surveyor at Sanderson Weatherall who acted for the vendor, said: “The new premises are ideal for Unison combining industrial and office use and providing considerable scope for expansion.”