Global subsea and energy sector imaging systems specialist Bowtech Products Ltd today confirms it is investing more than £3million in the development of its new headquarters, as it is unveiled as the first occupant of Aberdeen’s major new international business park, ABZ.

Bowtech Products has secured a prominent entrance plot at ABZ, where it will develop a substantial high specification office and manufacturing facility, to service its growing customer base.

The company is a global leader in the development and manufacture of camera, LED lighting and vision system technology, designed to operate in harsh environments, hazardous areas and subsea.

The move is crucial to Bowtech Products’ growth ambitions, which will see the company’s operations centralised to one site from its existing premises at Howe Moss Crescent and Dyce Drive, with the potential for a doubling of its staff base in the next five years.

Steve Bowring, managing director of Bowtech Products Ltd, says: “We are investing in our future by establishing our new headquarters at ABZ, where we are able to develop bespoke premises at a site which can accommodate our ambitious growth plans.

“We currently have a staff base of 40 and, with capacity for more than 70 at these new premises, which we aim to see completed by the end of 2013, we are effectively looking at doubling our workforce and workload.

“With operations across the international marketplace, including South America and Australasia as well as our home markets in the UK and Norwegian North Sea, our focus was on securing a base which has direct connections in terms of road, rail and air as well as providing us with modern facilities.”

Bowtech Products has a wide-ranging client base across the oil and gas exploration and production upstream and downstream marketplaces topside and subsea, nuclear energy sector and also major defence construction projects.

Its new headquarters has been designed by Davidson Smith Partnership LLP, and it is anticipated that 40 jobs will be created during the construction phase of the site’s development.

George Stevenson, director of ABZ Development Ltd, says: “Securing renowned technology specialist Bowtech Products as our first occupier at such an early stage is excellent news. We are confident of making further announcements soon, with rapid progress being made at ABZ.”

ABZ delivers 750,000 square feet of vital commercial, industrial and hotel development land for Aberdeen, addressing a significant shortfall of available business space, particularly in the north of the city, at a time of increasing activity across the energy sector.

The developer has already confirmed it is taking forward the speculative construction of a £2million industrial office and warehouse facility for lease or sale, due to be complete by May 2013.

Investment in ABZ is expected to be in the region of £100m for the construction phase alone – with the potential for up to 2,000 jobs to be created when the Business Park reaches full maturity.

Groundworks at ABZ are almost complete, with 1.2km of road networks laid, along with major services including power, gas, water and sewerage. The developer is also investing in improvements to Dyce Drive, a key Airport surface access route, adding much needed capacity to the road at its junction with Wellheads Drive.

Press Release, November 08, 2012