Global marine technology company Kongsberg Maritime announced plans yesterday to expand its workforce when it relocates to larger premises in the north-east.
The Norwegian firm said the move to Westpoint Business Park, at Westhill, this summer was because of unprecedented growth in the past couple of years. It is investing £2million on the 15-year lease of the Pavilion 7 building.
Kongsberg said the premises would provide twice its existing floor space over three levels, allowing for substantial future expansion.
The firm’s offshore division is moving from its premises in Bridge of Don, while the training and simulation centre at Westhill will take up an entire floor of the new property.
The camera division will remain in the current building at Bridge of Don, which is being refurbished and improved.
Pavilion 7 represents an investment by Aberdeen-based developer Knight Property Group of about £7million.
Kongsberg has about 3,600 staff across the globe, with 73 of them in the Aberdeen area.
The Westhill move will lead to 15 new posts.
David Shand, general manager for offshore at Kongsberg, said: “We have doubled our workforce in the last 12 months and this is expected to continue to rise in the coming year. As a result, we felt it imperative to find a site which could accommodate the future growth of the organisation.
“The new premises will provide us with the required capacity to meet the needs of our forecasted growth during the next five to 10 years. It will also give us the ability to invest further in the development of electronic engineering graduates and apprentices from the Aberdeen area.”
The training and simulation site will increase its floor space by 60%, providing Kongsberg with the capacity to train more people. The centre has recorded its most successful year to date, with 885 delegates training there in 2011, an increase of 254 on the previous year.
Mr Shand added: “The new building will add six training rooms to our current offering. We have also recruited three further training instructors at the training centre, which will allow us to increase the number of scheduled courses on offer.”
Pavilion 7 will also include an advanced ship simulator and test tank.
Mr Shand said: “The move will launch a new era for us at Kongsberg, and we are all incredibly excited to be involved. Our commitment in this new venture is a reflection of our continued desire to invest in our people, our customers and our future.”