Earlier this month, the Renishaw (www.renishaw.com) Innovation Centre in Wotton-under-Edge was formally opened by the Princess Royal, who also presented the company’s latest Queen’s Award.

The Innovation Centre gives the company an additional 153,000sq ft of space, housing R&D and corporate services staff, as well as demonstration, training and conference facilities.

The extra space also enables Renishaw’s spectroscopy and laser calibration product lines to relocate from the Old Town site in Wotton-under-Edge and the Woodchester site near Stroud to the company’s headquarters site.

Chairman Sir David McMurtry said: “The Renishaw Innovation Centre is one of a series of significant investments that we are making to secure our future growth here in the UK and in our many overseas markets.

This building on its own represents a £20 million investment, and I would like to thank all of the Renishaw employees and our contractors who have worked incredibly hard to deliver such a high-quality facility.

He added: “We won our first Queen’s Award in 1979, and while we have been recognised a further 17 times over the years, to receive an award is still very special.”

The Princess Royal said: “It is a pleasure to open this new building, and I am sure that it will fulfil all the ambitions that you might have for it.”