Britain’s leading floorcare brand Vax is building new state-of-the-art R&D laboratories and product development workshops at its central Birmingham offices located at 2 Colmore Square.
The facilities will house over 50 engineers and scientists working on a range of development projects to improve the performance of Vax’s market-leading 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.
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. 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 significantly increased its investment in R&D, created new engineering roles and expanded the size of the product development team by 150%. This investment enabled the development of an extensive portfolio of British-designed floorcare products for its customers in the UK and its overseas markets in Europe, Russia Australia, New Zealand and Israel, including the Air range of “world’s lightest” full-size multi-cyclonic vacuum cleaners.
James Holdgate, Vax Head of New Product Development, commented: “As Britain’s best-selling floorcare brand and a leading designer of floorcare products for our customers around the globe, Vax is committed to listening to their 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 fulfill their potential.”
The meteoric growth of the business over the past three years has secured Vax’s place as a leading employer in the Midlands, with 215 new roles created since 2011 and more in the pipeline. 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.
“Any engineers or scientists, highly experienced or just starting their careers, who join Vax will find an environment that encourages their creativity and enables them to work at new technological frontiers,” commented Holdgate. “High-class facilities, space and equipment mean that the task of solving even the most challenging of engineering problems is both exciting and achievable. We offer structured training and development for all our employees, a wide range of benefits and fast-tracking for those who demonstrate high potential, making Vax the ideal place to launch your career.”
