New £5 million HQ for Alcester firm as it expands global markets
IT started in a garden shed in 1980 and on Friday (14th October) the engineering firm Calgavin welcomed guests to see the turf dug that signalled the start of a £5million project to build new headquarters for the Alcester-based company on the Arden Forest Way development.
The new HQ is less than a mile away from the current facility occupied by Calgavin at Minerva Mill and will take just under 12 months to complete.
The company’s special guest at the new site on Friday included Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who posed with Calgavin’s managing director and founder, Martin Gough.
Mr Zahawi said: “One of the first entrepreneurs I met when I was a rookie politician was a fellow chemical engineer. We need to get more engineers in Parliament if we want to become a science superpower.
“It’s wonderful to see Calgavin expand and stay loyal to the area. It’s great to be here and congratulations to everyone involved.
“It’s testament to the state of collaboration that goes on in our country that makes me incredibly proud.”
Calgavin, which specialises in creating heat transfer solutions for a range of industries, including petrochemical, has grown its engineering expertise for more than 40 years, working with many global energy companies but the move to Arden Forest Way will enable the firm to expand its global business even further.
The project will see Calgavin create a new, fit-for-purpose space where it can develop and test its products, increase
production and build a larger laboratory with improved product development space.
Mr Gough said, as the spade was dug into the turf: “It’s a little hole but a very important one to us. We are involved in projects around the world and we do this through collaboration.
“The company has partnerships with UK and European universities and in particular a partnership with the University of Birmingham department of chemical engineering and a number of graduates from Birmingham have worked with us.”
Also among the guests was the mayor of Alcester, Cllr Kathryn Cargill who said: “This is a really great day for Alcester and an outstanding achievement for Calgavin who are staying in the town, which is a fantastic place to come and work.
“Alcester Town Council wishes them every success and huge congratulations for the new headquarters.”
