The £250K investment into the Chapeltown site has allowed for significant improvements to equipment, testing areas, and development capabilities.
Global paint and coatings company, Sherwin-Williams, has unveiled a major expansion to the research and development lab at its Sheffield-based production facility, in a grand-reopening and ribbon cutting ceremony.
The ceremony saw speeches to commemorate the occasion from the senior leadership team, including Sherwin-Williams’ Vice President and General Manager, Jane Ryder and Technical Director for EMEAI, Martin Seabrook.
The £250K investment into the Chapeltown site has allowed for significant improvements to equipment, testing areas, and development capabilities with the improvements seeing the Sheffield site become the central hub for all development work across the brand portfolio.
The site now also houses facilities that will support the training and technical development of all Sherwin-Williams employees across the UK and Ireland, bringing teams together to support their career development and putting the Sheffield site on the map for the entire business.
It’s not only the current employees that benefit from this investment. There have been six additional, highly skilled roles created to service the newly extended and improved lab.
The site also has increased potential to be able to train more research and development chemists through industrial placements and apprenticeships with a goal to continue to grow our links with local universities and colleges and, in turn, support local employment opportunities for future science graduates.
The decision to bring all paint research and development to Sheffield follows the relocation of production in 2022 and marks a new chapter in the site's history, which has been manufacturing Ronseal products for six decades. Nearly all new products, platforms and technologies from the group will now be fully designed, developed, tested, and produced at the Sheffield site, from concept to finished goods.
Ryder said: “I am delighted to open the expanded R&D lab at our production facility in Chapeltown. “The expansion of the lab is a testament to the success of our operations in Sheffield and our decision to move the production to the Chapeltown site. The expansion will support our investment in the local area and our manufacturing growth strategy for the future.”
Seabrook added: “The expansion is a super exciting step for us and will make collaboration between the development scientists and the production facility much easier. The investment will enable us to develop the best products possible with confidence that they will meet the highest standards of performance for our customers.”
