New business park welcomes its first tenants after revamp

Nippon Gohsei and Neill & Brown Global Logistics are developing new laboratory, manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities on the Humbrol site on Hedon Road, now the Marfleet Environmental Industries Park.

The Japanese-owned chemical company, which manufactures a packaging product called Soarnol at nearby Saltend, is taking up 20,000 sq ft of space to house new machinery for producing bespoke orders.

Neill & Brown Global Logistics, which employs 90 people at its headquarters at Livingstone Road, Hessle, is already storing and distributing Soarnol to customers throughout Europe from the Hedon Road facility, where it occupies 40,000 sq ft.

The move will create 13 new jobs initially, 11 with Nippon Gohsei and two with Neill & Brown.

Noriaki Hamada, managing director of Nippon Gohsei UK, said the new east Hull premises would allow the company to respond more swiftly to demand for compounded grades of Soarnol, sales of which had increased considerably.

The former paint manufacturer’s site had become an eyesore since closing in 2006.

Owners Warmsale Ltd gained planning permission last year to build industrial units on the 9.5 acre site.

Director Paul Dixon praised the help given by Hull Council and Yorkshire Forward, which provided vital European Regional Development Funding.

“In all, it is a story of private and public enterprise working together to bring a redundant and run-down site back to life,” he said.