Midlands floorcare manufacturer Vax is building new R&D facilities at its Birmingham City Centre HQ to house a team of over 50 engineers.
The facilities will house engineers and scientists working on a range of development projects to improve the performance of Vax’s vacuum cleaner, steam cleaner and carpet washer ranges and to create all-new designs incorporating the latest Vax technologies. These new projects will focus on developing innovative machines that are bagless, cordless, lightweight, high quality and high efficiency, says Vax.
Due for completion in September, this development is the latest phase of Vax’s UK expansion and follows the opening of a purpose-built 231,420 sq ft storage and distribution centre at Stonebridge Cross in Worcestershire in August. According to Vax, together the two sites accommodate a workforce that has doubled in size in the past three years in parallel with rapid growth in market share. During this time Vax has significantly increased its investment in R&D, created new engineering roles and expanded the size of the product development team by 150%. This investment has enabled the development of a portfolio of British-designed floorcare products for its customers in the UK and its overseas markets in Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.
Vax head of new product development James Holdgate commented: “Vax is committed to listening to our customers’ needs and doing everything we can to meet their demand for ever-better performance, usability and value. These advances can only be made through the application of the very latest technologies.
“Upgrading our R&D facilities will enable us to develop new products that exceed our customers’ every expectation. As our inclusion in the 2014 ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies To Work For’ list illustrates, we’re also committed to providing our employees with inspiring workplaces, including state-of-the-art product development facilities where they can truly fulfil their potential.”
The company is currently recruiting for a range of graduate and non-graduate roles and aims to add over a hundred more R&D engineers and designers within the next three years.
