ABB marks anniversary by unveiling expansion
11th November 2014
A multinational technical consultancy and engineering group unveiled plans for further investment in the Humber which marked the fifth anniversary of moving into The Deep Business Centre.
ABB Consulting has strengthened its team at The Deep with three new appointments. Two more recruits will be added in the coming months, taking the total workforce in Hull to nearly 20 – double the number based at The Deep when the office opened in 2009.
Peter Hunt, Business Development Director, said: “The aim of our event was to celebrate the fact that we are expanding the team and we are enjoying doing business here.
“It was also to discuss the reasons why the region is growing and why people are coming here.
“We work in oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and power with some of the biggest players in those industries. The chemicals industry itself is worth £6 billion in the Humber. It is extremely strong and growing and there is a lot of investment. The Humber area survived the downturn very well, whereas a lot of other sites really suffered. The Humber seemed to hold up better than most.
“We have a strong presence on Teesside and in the north-west and we felt there were big opportunities in the Humber. We have been members of HCF from the start and they have been very supportive, helping us to get going.”
ABB Consulting, part of the global ABB Group, has used its Hull office as a platform for growth in the Humber.
Speakers at the business forum included Dr Chris Bowlas, Manager of Saltend Chemicals Park and chair of Humber Chemical Focus Ltd (HCF), and Andy Bulman, Operations Director at Vivergo Fuels. Peter revealed that it was customer feedback which encouraged ABB Consulting to open a Humber office.
He said: “We have always worked in the Humber but people were asking why we didn’t have an office here and that prompted us to make the move. We probably have 30 or 40 people working in the area at any one time and the feedback we have had locally is that they value our skills and expertise.”
Dr Joanne Murray, Business Development Manager, added: “We opened the Hull office to house a small local team and we have continued to expand. We chose The Deep because we wanted somewhere with a central location, a high profile and good access for our customers. It’s ideal as a base for our team and as a venue for the industry seminars and training sessions which we hold in Hull and at CATCH in Immingham.
“Peter and I are leading the expansion into the Humber region. Currently we have more than 10 per cent of our business in this region and we see it as an area that is growing and that is very strong and resilient.”
Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, added: “We really enjoy seeing our tenants expand in this way because it shows the success of our own strategy.
“Most of the businesses which arrive at The Deep are embarking on tentative expansion or even taking their first steps in business. Our approach is to offer the flexibility which helps them through those early stages and enables them to build strong foundations for future expansion. That is exactly what ABB Consulting are doing and we are working with them to make sure they have the space and facilities that they need.”