Festo`s headquarters head North

Festo, the pneumatics and automation supplier, is moving its headquarters from Fleet in Hampshire to Northampton as part of a programme to "realign its UK business with changing market demands".

The company`s engineers will now be based at its Northampton Technology Centre, where service and support operations will also be expanded. The changes will involve "a few" redundancies, and some staff are transferring from Fleet to Northampton. The overall number of Festo employees in the UK is not expected to change much.

The changes are part of "an ambitious programme of investment", including $1m being spent on the company`s IT infrastructure to enhance its Web trading and e-commerce activities.

Gary Wyles, Festo GB`s general manager, says that the main driver behind the realignment is improved customer support. "We are developing our service offer to exceed customer expectations," he declares. The company will also provide services tailored to specific markets.

Festo will maintain a presence in the South with new premises close to its former HQ.

The next phase of the project will involve further investment in resources and personnel in Northampton, including a new call centre.