A clean air technology business has expanded its operations to accommodate a growing team.
Howorth Air Technology has created a dedicated hub for its design engineers based at its pharmaceuticals industry facility at Raven Locks in Little Hulton, Salford.
The new single-storey building in the grounds of the existing facility has freed up office space to accommodate an influx of new staff as Howorth’s pharma division continues to grow.
Howorth has taken on 12 additional staff in the division so far this year and further recruitment is under way.
The new hub houses Howorth’s team of mechanical design engineers and electrical, controls and instrumentation design engineers, and will be also be used as a training suite.
Howorth, which has its headquarters in Farnworth, Bolton, designs, manufactures and assembles ultra clean air equipment for use in operating theatres, and for the pharma, biotechnology and life science industries.
The company designs, assembles and supplies containment equipment for the pharma industry, such as isolators and downflow booths, to create pure air working environments for the safe handling and processing of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Howorth opened its facility at Raven Locks in April 2021. At the time, the company had a flexible work pattern in place due to the pandemic. Staff whose roles allowed them to do their jobs from home were doing so.
Carlo Rava, Howorth’s pharma operations director, said that following a return to a more normal working pattern and amid ongoing recruitment, staff numbers at Raven Locks outgrew the available office space.
He said: “We looked at ways to expand without taking up precious shopfloor space, and decided the best solution was to develop a hub where the design engineers could be based, with scope to expand further and train new recruits.
“As a result of our investment, we have freed up office space for other functions such as project management, marketing, technical documentation and service administration. We’ve also created client pods so visiting clients can have their own rooms during visits and acceptance testing for their equipment.
“So far this year, we’ve created a significant number of new positions in our pharma division and we are looking to recruit further, including for design engineering and project management roles.”
The new design hub and recruitment to the pharma division marks the latest phase of Howorth’s expansion.
This summer, the company announced a new operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, to serve a growing US client base in the pharmaceuticals sector.
It is headed by Cory Clarke, who joined the company as an apprentice and has risen through the ranks.
The new base provides service support, spare parts and training as well as modifications, conversions and upgrades to clients’ existing Howorth containment equipment.
The company, which turns over more than £20m a year, employs more than 130 staff in total across its operations in the UK and the United States.
