A global automotive manufacturing firm is on the road to major expansion in Burton - creating 150 new jobs.
Spanish outfit Grupo Antolin is broadening its horizons at Barton Business Park after a deal was secured by national developer St Modwen.
The automotive group currently occupies 70,000 sq ft at Barton Business Park, and has signed a 15-year lease to expand its operations on site into a newly built 113,000 sq ft unit, adjacent to their existing plot.
Grupo Antolin is a one tier automotive supplier of interior trim systems and components to major OEMs from multiple sites throughout the UK.
Ian Romano, development director at St. Modwen, said: "Grupo Antolin has been an occupier at Barton Business Park for 10 years and their expansion at Barton reinforces the strength of the automotive industry in the Midlands, which is a key market for us.
"It's important to St Modwen to help occupiers grow at our developments and we have worked with Grupo Antolin to create a facility to suit their needs for the foreseeable future."
The unit will be built on the business park's last remaining plot, which was purchased by St. Modwen from JV partner Prologis in March 2017. Ground levelling work has already begun and the facility is due to be completed in May 2018.
Robin Hills, general manager at Grupo Antolin, said: "Since relocating from Bristol in 2006, the Barton facility has been awarded new and replacement business over a number of vehicle programmes and reached its full manufacturing capacity.
"Grupo Antolin has committed to a major investment at the Barton facility to take a new lease on the adjoining plot from St Modwen to consolidate future growth. Initially this will create an additional 150 positions within the business with further vehicle programmes planned in the next few years."
The news follows the letting announcement with Hellman Worldwide Logistics at St Modwen's nearby Burton Gateway development, part of the developer's growing focus on the development of industrial and logistics sites in areas of high demand across the UK.
From the company's overall medium-term commercial pipeline, St. Modwen has identified 7.5m sq ft of "A1" high quality industrial and logistics projects deliverable over the next few years, and during 2017 expects to develop 1m sq ft of industrial and logistics space across its UK portfolio, of which 50 per cent is already sold or pre-let.
What are business gateway parks?
Burton has three gateway business developments in and around the town - Barton, Burton and Albion Gateways.
They are home to big named and smaller businesses and are strategically placed at the entrances and exits of the town - idea for those needing the transport links as well as parking facilities.
Barton Business Park is located on the A38, four miles south of Burton and six miles north of Lichfield. As well as Grupo Antolin, its current occupiers include Argos, CEVA Logistics, Bombardier and Pirelli.
The Burton Gateway is a 64 acre commercial business park located adjacent to the A38 at the entrance to Burton and bosses said it is one of the key employment sites in East Staffordshire.
The site forms part of a larger 175 acre mixed-use scheme which includes a residential development of 660 new homes and open landscaped parkland to the west of the River Trent.
The Albion Gateway can be found in Derby Road and comprises of 10 acres of land. It is a mixed use commercial development that benefits from the close proximity to major transport links including the A38, A50 and the A511.
