A global developer and manufacturer of coding and marking products, headquartered in the UK, is celebrating the official opening of its new fluids facility in the Liverpool City region today (Wednesday 18th July 2018).
Domino Printing Sciences has moved its fluids manufacturing to a new 172,000 sq ft (16,000 sq m) state-of-the-art factory on the Senate Business Park, enabling a significant increase in productivity and capacity, as well as reduced lead times through investment in leading-edge production processes.
The expansion will also result in the creation of 19 new jobs over the next nine months, bringing the total workforce to 88.
Nigel Bond, Domino CEO said: “This new facility, located less than a mile from our previous factory, will accommodate the expansion of our fluids manufacturing capacity in line with growing demand, including a wider range of products and greater volumes. Not only will this meet our customers’ rapidly changing requirements, but also enable them to be even more responsive and competitive within their own marketplaces.
“Very importantly, this significant global investment underlines our ongoing commitment to a presence in Liverpool, continuing as the epicentre of our fluids business as it has for the last 35 years.”
At the Opening event, guests included Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool region, Koide-san on behalf of Brother and Marion Atkinson, Cabinet Member Regeneration and Skills, together with representatives from Sefton Council, Liverpool City Region LEP and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was carried out by Domino employees Martin Hiddleston, Christine Linden and Dave McMahon, followed by site tours.
The new facility is five times larger than the previous factory and is arranged on three floors. It includes the manufacturing area, Quality Assurance labs, dedicated customer training and seminar facilities, administration offices and conference facilities, as well as ten-metre high warehousing space. From here products are shipped directly to major customers, sales channels and more than 200 distributors worldwide.
State-of-the-art technology with in-line mixing capability and innovative materials handling processes, automated filling lines and robotic automated handling and palletisation systems will increase productivity and capacity, enabling faster lead-times.
Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “We are delighted to watch Domino go from strength to strength as they expand its operation within Sefton, investing in the borough’s economy and creating new job opportunities.
“We have an excellent working relationship with Domino and their ambition sits within our economic and regeneration plans as part of our Vision for 2030. It also demonstrates that our borough is well and truly open for business.”
Dave Jenkinson, Fluid Operations Director said: “This is an important milestone for Domino and everyone who has worked so hard to bring this new facility to fruition. Two years ago we held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction and here we are today, seeing a state-of-the-art factory that is fully operational.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in this including Fletcher-Rae architects based in Manchester and Eric Wright Group as the main build contractors. We are also grateful to Sefton Council for its support in making this happen, as well as the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership who have helped with the opening today.”
In welcoming the guests, Nigel Bond, Domino CEO said: “I’m delighted to be here this morning to open our new production facility which is a further major investment for our company, following on from the recent opening of a new factory in Shanghai serving the local market in China and the expansion of our HQ buildings in Cambridge. These collective investments demonstrate our confidence in the business, the robustness of the markets we serve and our ambition to grow our market share and provide our customers with the highest service levels possible.
“Domino has had a long association with Liverpool, establishing our primary ink and consumables factory in the local area back in 1984. Our employees in Liverpool have done a wonderful job since that time, so it was never in question where we would build this new facility; the only question was could we find the right site within a radius from our existing buildings, to keep all the skills and the team together.
“This operation here in Liverpool is absolutely critical to the success of Domino, not only in terms of sales revenue, but more importantly, our brand reputation, and our people here have done a great job in helping Domino build a reputation. So, in summary, this new building and site is absolutely critical to our future and I hope our people enjoy working in these new state-of-the-art surroundings and that we continue on our journey of growth and success, which the operational performance of this facility is such a critical part.”
Speaking after the opening of the factory, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “As Metro Mayor, one of my priorities is to attract more inward investment into our area – but that should always complement the need to retain and grow our existing local businesses. For me – Domino’s investment in their brand new factory is a massive vote of confidence in our city region and the direction it is heading. I hope that their example will be followed by other local businesses and we stand ready to support them in whatever way we can.”
Sustainability credentials for the new facility include photovoltaic cells on the roof to generate power from solar sources, and drainage of all rainwater and surface water into attenuation ponds on site for natural drainage or evaporation.
Domino recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special event to recognise staff contributions to its success, held at its Cambridge headquarters. Staff in Liverpool will hold their own celebratory event with a Family Day in August.