Global scientific instruments manufacturer, LECO, has relocated its UK headquarters and training centre from Stockport to Bruntwood SciTech’s science and technology campus, Alderley Park.
Michigan-based LECO makes and sells scientific instruments, specialising in elemental analysis, thermal analysis, metallography, and time of flight mass spectrometry for both nominal and accurate mass.
As global market leaders, its products aim to improve the productivity of its client base, who they work closely with to find the right equipment for each analysis need.
Its new UK headquarters is at No.11 Mereside in the heart of Alderley Park, which will also be home to its new Leco UK Training Centre.
The facility will offer customers the opportunity for skilled development in its demo lab – located next to its workspace, reaffirming its commitment to empowering customers through education and practical training.
Home to more than 250 science and technology businesses operating across a broad range of life science and technology disciplines, Alderley Park is owned and operated by Bruntwood SciTech, the largest dedicated property platform serving the UK’s innovation economy – a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General and Greater Manchester Pension Fund.
Set in 400 acres of parkland, the campus offers state of the art, flexible laboratory and office space, as well as access to universities and the NHS through Bruntwood SciTech’s partner network.
The campus provides a supportive ecosystem for businesses at every stage of their growth and fundraising journey, from seed through to equity and from start-up to mature, established players.
Mark Julian, Head of Commercial for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience working with LECO to create a bespoke workspace and training facility, supporting their growth in the UK.
“Their bespoke demo lab, which overlooks the scenic Mere and woodland, will enable LECO to continue their high level of customer support, but also complement the thriving innovation ecosystem already in place at the park.”
LECO has more than 25 subsidiaries and international offices worldwide, including in Germany, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Mexico, while additional distributors are authorised to sell and service products to the rest of the world.
Alderley Park
Michael Reaney, Sales Director at LECO Instruments UK, said: “This move marks a milestone in our journey of innovation and growth as we embark on a new chapter of excellence, collaboration and advancement. This state-of-the-art facility at Alderley Park represents our commitment to empowering scientists, researchers and industry leaders with the tools, knowledge and support they need to drive discovery and shape the future of analytical science.”
Earlier this year, Bruntwood SciTech announced that businesses based at Alderley Park secured almost £50m in new R&D-linked funding in 2023, as the North West innovation campus continues to support groundbreaking research.
As part of the funding, businesses based at the UK’s largest single site life science campus have secured backing for major projects relating to cancer and brain tumour treatment as well as gene editing technology.
Of the businesses that successfully secured funding in 2023, biotech game-changer, CellCentric, raised the most capital, attracting a £19.3m ($25m) investment from pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer.
Recognised in the Top 10 UK Venture Seed Deals by the BIA’s UK BioTech Financing Report 2023, in September, Alderley Park-based Pencil Biosciences also attracted £5.6m in seed funding for its novel gene modulation technology, while biomolecular medicine specialists, Sutura, raised £7.8m, also featuring in the top 10.
Other companies who successfully raised investment at the park include medical device start-up, QV Bioelectronics and Nodus Oncology, as well as clinical-stage biotechnology company Redx Pharma whose share issue generated £14m in investment for its work on targeted therapies for fibrotic disease and cancer – resulting in recognition in the BIA report as a Top 10 UK Follow-On Finance Deal.
Businesses based at Alderley Park are able to take advantage of Bruntwood SciTech’s investment partners, through the Biospheric Network – which forms part of the wider ecosystem. This includes the GM Life Sciences Fund by Prateura and Northern Gritstone of which Bruntwood SciTech and Bruntwood are founding investors in.
Alongside investment into companies located at Alderley Park, 2023 also saw an additional 95,000 sq ft of lab and office workspace let to new and existing customers across both the Mereside life science campus, and tech hub – Glasshouse. This includes Gentronix, Peak Software, Globachem, Veramed and Venn Digital.
This latest news comes after Bruntwood SciTech announced in October that it would be investing £500m into the UK’s innovation economy and welcomed the UK’s largest local authority pension fund, Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF), into the partnership, alongside existing partners Bruntwood and Legal & General.
Now the largest dedicated property platform serving the UK’s innovation economy, Bruntwood SciTech aims to create a £5bn UK-wide portfolio that can support 2,600 high-growth businesses by 2032.
