DROITWICH floorcare manufacturer Vax is building new research and development facilities in Birmingham city centre to house a team of more than 50 engineers.

The centre in Colmore Square will include specialists 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, near Droitwich 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 per cent.

James Holdgate, Vax head of new product development, commented: “Vax is committed to listening to the needs of customers 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 fulfil 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.