Peter
Viggers, Gosport’s MP celebrated the opening of the
new £1.2m prestige headquarters in Heritage Way, Gosport
with renowned manufacturing company, Specialized Fabrications.
Mr Viggers cut the red ribbon to formally open the new 28,000
sq.ft. commercial facility overseen by partners of the company,
Tony World and Tony Dunn.
Peter Viggers
sees this major development as not only important for Specialized
Fabrications but as evidence of the evolution
that Gosport is making to deliver answers for business. He
said: “For any company to choose Gosport as a manufacturing
base is a very good decision. With its unique connections
with the Royal Navy and the services, the working population
of Gosport portray similar skills available to employers
being disciplined, loyal and offering a can do attitude.”
Specialized Fabrications,
founded in 1986 by partners Tony World and Tony Dunn, was
pleased to welcome Peter Viggers
to their new operation and showed the MP work in progress
by some of the 75 employees in the company. Tony Dunn commented: “As
one of the foremost manufacturers of steelwork for new developments
including staircases and balustrades, our work however can
often go unrecognized, simply forming part of a large development
or project, so it’s good for our work to be acknowledged.”
As part of the
celebrations, Tony Dunn went on to explain that the company,
with a turnover now in excess of £4.5
million, has recently won two new contracts. “We are
pleased to announce that Specialized Fabrications beat off
stiff competition to win a £1 million contract to provide
interior steelwork including balustrades, handrails and other
metalwork for offices in Horseferry Road, London that will
eventually be occupied by the Home Office. Closer to home,
we are just about to embark on a refurbishment project at
the head office of B&Q in Eastleigh successfully winning
a contract worth £300,000.”
The company fitted
its new facilities with a lot of its own steelwork to both
the interior and exterior and showed
the VIP around the accommodation. Peter Viggers commented; “Having
had a chance to see the manufacturing side and the products
Specialized Fabrications create, I am proud they have moved
to Gosport and feel sure that their business will prosper
from their new headquarters.”
As part of the celebrations, Peter Viggers was also introduced
to Derek and Kerry Ellway, co-directors of AquAid. The company
has also just taken possession of 1,500 sq.ft. of new business
space. This additional space forms part of the new scheme
that also offers a range of other small business and office
units for rent in sizes from 1,419 sq.ft. to local companies
seeking flexible accommodation.
Like Specialized
Fabrications, AquAid is expanding and requires easy access
to both its expanding client base and reliable
workforce. As Derek Ellway explained; “Previously we
were located on a business park where ownership of a car
was essential, but from our new location at Heritage Way
staff have a variety of options to get to work and crucially
this does not detract from access to our client base.” AquAid,
a local company provides water coolers to companies, but
uniquely part of their profits are ploughed into the development
of regular and pure water supplies to the third world.
Tony World, partner
of Specialized Fabrications summed the celebrations up; ”Our
company works throughout the UK on various projects ranging
from the Clyde Ferry Pontoon
in Glasgow to a large distribution warehouse in Dartford,
Kent but we feel certain that our expansion into Gosport
will allow the business to spread its wings and tackle more
varied projects and so look forward to continuing the development
of our business both locally and further afield.” |
